Unfinished business: For Luka Doncic, becoming a Laker is all about cementing his legacy

Is Luka Doncic happy to be a Laker?

Will Luka Doncic even be a Laker after the season?

Can Luka Doncic bring home banner No. 18 for the Purple and Gold?

What will the LeBron James x Luka Doncic era look like?

The answers to each of those questions are, no, don't know, maybe, and the thought for the fourth toggles between brilliant to balderdash.

The grading, the shocker of a power move, and all the game-related chatter aside, the most sincere question to ask is if Doncic has even begun processing the grim reality of being traded without notice. He's 25, and there is no doubt that, for whatever reason he's traded, he's not fully convinced he's a Laker.

Let's quickly compare the attitude to how Anthony Davis, once an untouchable player in any and every Lakers trade talks, went from resting at home with his family to touching down in Dallas. And the tired-but-I-have-an-obligation-faced Doncic.

For Davis, 32, and a player all too familiar with the cutthroat business of the NBA, Dallas isn't a bad option. He's going to play alongside Kyrie Irving and an immensely talented Mavericks roster that has the potential to contend for the Larry O'Brien in the days and years to come. The same can't be said for Doncic.

At the time of writing, there's every reason to believe that even LeBron James might be off to a different team. If he's not, then the Stranger Things of this season might end with Jimmy Butler perhaps getting his way to move to Phoenix, or Kevin Durant becoming a Golden State Warrior again.

But what about Doncic? What's the ceiling for this Lakers team that's promised plenty in their dashing wins over the New York Knicks and the LA Clippers? Even as the focus moves to Saturday when the Slovenian is expected to make his debut, there's more uncertainty that hangs in the air than all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the unfathomable trade.

It's clear as day that Doncic is yet to fully let it sink in that he's not part of the Mavs and was perhaps well out of their plans. If he was, he's not anymore. And in a move that might make or break his career, he's a Laker and a decorated one at that.

There's no need to discuss his resume. GM Rob Pelinka, the shrewd operator that he is wouldn't have pulled off a clandestine mission to acquire a generational superstar (he may have saved the NBA) without knowing the risk and reward ratio the guard brings to the table.

For anyone who caught his introductory press conference, it's not rocket science to know he was/is unhappy and that he never wanted this trade. Mavs GM Nico Harrison pulled off a power move that all but firmly established that the moolah-givers will have their way, global superstar be damned. Now, the focus for the mercurial player must be on his legacy.

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It's time for Luka Doncic to carve his unfinished legacy but with the Lakers

Being a Laker is tough, Russell Westbrook will tell you that. But it's part of the job description — do well, and you're adored; do badly, and you're scrutinized like there's no tomorrow. Luka Doncic is now in that zone and perhaps the best approach once he understands he's a Laker is finishing what he set out to do with the Mavericks.

The 5x NBA All-Star was expected to win it for Dallas, and to his credit, he did lead them to the NBA Finals last season. Now, fresh off of it, he has another legitimate chance to do it all over again.

This Lakers roster might not have the most potent offense or a lockdown defense that might win them a championship. But what it does is have a bonafide and bankable superstar in LeBron James, an astute tactician in JJ Redick, and enough pieces that, with some tinkering, have all the necessary firepower to make a deep playoff run.

Luka Doncic plays alongside a legitimate winner on LeBron James

It isn't to say that the Lakers are winning it all after the massive trade. But if it spurs Luka Doncic to perform better than what he did with the Mavericks, then by all means, this will be the season the Lakers will make the promised land. It's the 18th for LA, but it will be the first for Doncic — step one to making his mark. And let's admit it: it doesn't matter where the Mavs finish, but an NBA Finals appearance is as good as a win for Doncic.

Look at it as the same thing that James faced when he returned to Cleveland for his second stint. The Warriors were nuclear, and it was all about legacy for the 4x NBA champion. Doncic now wades similar waters, only that he didn't choose to be in LA.

As tough a pill as it is to swallow, Luka Doncic will now have to embrace the fact that he is an LA Laker. And sometimes, the best way to show someone what they are missing is to show them what they lost. So, once the tears go, it's time for Doncic to do what he does best. 'Win the championship' like he said he would.