I was going to cover something else, but with all that’s going on, I had to talk about this blockbuster trade. Now, I’m not going to break down the trade itself—it is what it is. Instead, I want to put it into historical context.

I’ve been thinking about the five best players of the 21st century, and while you can debate this, here’s my list:

• Kevin Durant

• Stephen Curry

• LeBron James

• Tim Duncan

• Kobe Bryant

Now, Giannis and Nikola Jokić aren’t there yet—they don’t have the tenure. They’re getting close, though, and will start moving up the rankings. Jokić will probably move up quicker.

Now that Luka Doncic is going to join LeBron, what does that mean historically?

I looked at which of these five great players had the most prime All-NBA teammates.

But here’s how I measured it:

• It’s not just about All-NBA selections while playing together.

• It’s about any player who made All-NBA at any point but spent their prime (ages 23-30) with one of these greats.

Why? Because if a guy made All-NBA before or after playing with a superstar, that means they were an elite player.

Example: If a player was All-NBA before joining LeBron, but suddenly stopped making it after playing with him, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t still an All-NBA-level player—it means playing with LeBron might have affected his numbers or role.

Kevin Durant – 6 Prime All-NBA Teammates (14 Playoff Runs)

• Russell Westbrook (4 playoff runs) – 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016

• Stephen Curry (2 playoff runs) – 2017, 2018

• Klay Thompson (2 playoff runs) – 2017, 2018

• Draymond Green (2 playoff runs) – 2017, 2018

• Kyrie Irving (2 playoff runs) – 2021, 2022

• Devin Booker (2 playoff runs) – 2023, 2024

Total: 6 players, 14 playoff runs

Stephen Curry – 4 Prime All-NBA Teammates (18 Playoff Runs)

• David Lee (2 playoff runs) – 2013, 2014

• Klay Thompson (7 playoff runs) – 2013-2019

• Draymond Green (7 playoff runs) – 2013-2019

• Kevin Durant (2 playoff runs) – 2017, 2018

Total: 4 players, 18 playoff runs

LeBron James – 6 Prime All-NBA Teammates (15 Playoff Runs, Soon to Be 16 with Luka)

• Dwyane Wade (2 playoff runs) – 2011, 2012

• Chris Bosh (4 playoff runs) – 2011-2014

• Kyrie Irving (2 playoff runs) – 2016, 2017

• Kevin Love (3 playoff runs) – 2016-2018

• Andre Drummond (1 playoff run) – 2021

• Anthony Davis (3 playoff runs) – 2020, 2021, 2023

Total: 6 players, 15 playoff runs (soon to be 16 with Luka Doncic in 2025).

Tim Duncan – 4 Prime All-NBA Teammates (17 Playoff Runs)

• Manu Ginóbili (6 playoff runs) – 2003-2008

• Tony Parker (8 playoff runs) – 2005-2012

• LaMarcus Aldridge (1 playoff run) – 2016

• Kawhi Leonard (2 playoff runs) – 2015, 2016

Total: 4 players, 17 playoff runs

Kobe Bryant – 4 Prime All-NBA Teammates (11 Playoff Runs)

• Shaquille O’Neal (5 playoff runs) – 1998-2002

• Ron Artest (1 playoff run) – 2010

• Pau Gasol (4 playoff runs) – 2008-2011

• Andrew Bynum (1 playoff run) – 2011

Total: 4 players, 11 playoff runs

• LeBron & Durant had the most different All-NBA teammates (6 each).

• Curry had the most total playoff runs with an All-NBA teammate (18).

• LeBron is about to surpass everyone with 7 teammates after Luka Doncic joins.

Now, some players had multiple prime All-NBA teammates in the same playoff run:

• LeBron: 2011-2012 (Wade & Bosh), 2016-2017 (Kyrie & Love), 2021 (Davis & Drummond).

• Duncan: 2005-2008 (Parker & Ginóbili), 2016 (Aldridge & Kawhi).

• Curry: 2013-2014 (Klay, Draymond, David Lee), 2017-2018 (Durant, Klay, Draymond).

People love to say, "LeBron didn’t have enough help."

But he had more All-NBA teammates than anyone—now adding Luka, he’ll have had the most ever.

The issue isn’t the number of great teammates—it’s that many of them got worse when playing with him.

Examples:

• Chris Bosh & Kevin Love went from franchise stars to role players.

• Dwyane Wade never made First Team All-NBA with LeBron.

• Anthony Davis was First Team before LeBron but only made it once with him.

LeBron fans like to argue that his teammates weren’t making All-NBA, so he carried them. But the real question is:

Why did so many All-NBA players stop making it when playing with LeBron?

I don’t expect Luka to make First Team All-NBA next season if he stays with LeBron.

• SGA will get one spot.

• Anthony Edwards might get the other.

LeBron’s style lowers his teammates' numbers. Luka is used to dominating the ball—how will he fit next to LeBron?

The Lakers' championship odds jumped from +4000 to +1800, but I don’t think they improved at all.

• LeBron & Luka’s usage rate will be insane.

• Will there be shots left for anyone else?

• Is Luka really a better fit than Anthony Davis?

We’ll see how it plays out next season, but I don’t see this working as well as people think.