Fox Sports: It s time to start the Luca era, and the Lakers should part ways with LeBron

When asked Wednesday what #Los Angeles Lakers need to do in the offseason to improve their chances of winning, #LeBron James refused to answer, he was eliminated by #Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round and chose to remain silent.

On the other hand, #Paul Pierce knows what the Lakers must do next to be a championship contender: get rid of James.

Pierce said on Thursday's "Speak" show: "You have to get out of the shackles of the LeBron era. He has been in control of the entire team for a long time. He has done a lot of amazing things for the Lakers. They might have set up a statue for LeBron in front of the Staples Center (whatever you call it now). "

"But they have to say, 'LeBron, we thank you for your efforts. I think we should part ways.' It's going to be a tough conversation."

While Pierce's idea might be surprising, his reasoning is quite simple.

Pierce said: "The era of Luca (Doncic) has arrived. I don't know if they can play together in the future (Doncic and James) because building a team that can win around Luca requires a specific type of lineup. With him and LeBron, I'm not sure if I can build that roster."

When the Lakers made an unexpected deal with #Doncic in February and got #Doncic, some people thought the deal marked a transfer of power for the Los Angeles team. Doncic, 26, has been one of the top stars in the league since the 1920s, making it to the NBA All-Squad for five consecutive years before the season. He also led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season. Meanwhile, James turned 40 in December and has led the Lakers to break through the first round of the playoffs only once since winning the 2020 championship.

But after Doncic was traded, the Los Angeles Lakers' ranking in the Western Conference has risen. The Lakers won nine games in the first 11 games after Doncic entered the starting lineup, but the team's momentum came to an abrupt end after James suffered a groin injury in early March. However, the Lakers still won the third seed seat in the Western Conference.

However, the pairing of James and Doncic failed to work in the #playoffs. The Timberwolves eliminated the Lakers in five games, with Los Angeles ranked 12th in offensive efficiency (109.1) and defensive efficiency (116.7) on 16 teams in the playoffs.

Although the pair had outstanding numbers in the first round series (James averaged 25.4 points; Doncic averaged 30.2 points), their performance dropped significantly throughout the fourth quarter of the series. In the last three games of the series, the Lakers netted 29 points in the fourth quarter, and they shot just 29% from the fourth quarter throughout the series.

Pearce did not propose a trade idea about James, but James has a $52.6 million player option next season. James didn't make a clear statement when asked about his future after losing Game 5 on Wednesday.

"I don't know. I don't have an answer to this question," James told reporters. "I will sit down and chat with my family, my wife, and my support team to see how things are going. Then think about it myself, how long I will have to play. To be honest, I don't know the answer now. So let's see."