Lakers’ $323M decision is proving a nightmare for LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off arguably one of the most surprising trades in NBA history over a year ago. LA convinced former Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison to agree to a deal for Luka Doncic. The Lakers were thrilled with the move, and even Doncic has made it clear he wants to win now with them.

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“Dončić being just 26 gives the Lakers a far longer timeline to build a championship-contending team, but that doesn’t mean they can slow down and take their time. Dončić told Lakers president Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick in May that he’s not interested in taking the slow approach in building a contender,” CBS Sports’ Jasmyn Wimbish wrote.

For LeBron James, this has allowed him to step back while still being on a team contending for a championship — just as he wanted.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Rich Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”

However, with Austin Reaves, James, and Doncic on the floor together, the offense hasn’t been particularly strong. In fact, the stats suggest the trio may not be an ideal combination.

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“That doesn’t sound radical. And based on eye test alone, it feels like a safe assumption. But so far, the data doesn’t really back that up. Non-five-player lineup data is never an exact science, so keep that in mind, but in the 316 minutes LA’s Big 3 have played together, it’s their 109.4 offensive rating that stands out. That mark would rank 29th in the NBA. Meanwhile, the team’s defensive rating of 110.5 with all three on the court would be a top-five mark in the league,” Lake Show Life’s Quinn Everts wrote.

The Lakers are starting to buckle down on defense, which is promising, but it doesn’t help if the team struggles to score. Fans want to see the big three together, but it might not be what the team actually needs.

This isn’t how the organization expected this experiment to unfold, though it’s worth noting they haven’t played much together yet. These shocking stats show just how risky a playoff series with the big three could be — and not necessarily in a good way.