After Paul's comments opened the trade speculation floodgates regarding the future Hall of Fame inductee, the Lakers have made it obvious that their 26-year-old superstar Dončić is viewed as the more important piece at this point in time, a wildly unfamiliar situation for James.

Steph Curry Has New Message for LeBron James Amid Warriors-Lakers Trade Rumors originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

That baton was passed as soon as L.A. finalized the trade that sent out James' handpicked sidekick, Anthony Davis, to acquire Luka Dončić, a 26-year-old megastar more than capable of piloting the Purple and Gold well past the LeBron era.