LeBron James‘ future was one of the topics that Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka addressed during his press conference on Thursday. In that media session, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin asked Pelinka if he would give James a new deal in 2026, and the executive didn’t confirm that he would.
“I followed up with Rob after he gave his initial answer saying that he would be welcome to LeBron deciding where his future goes,” McMenamin said on NBA Today. “And I said, ‘What if LeBron’s decision is in the summer of 2026, he wants to re-sign with the Lakers?’ And Rob said, ‘We would love if LeBron retired as a Laker.’ He didn’t discuss the option of actually extending another deal.”
It is quite interesting that Pelinka chose to sidestep the question. You understand that the executive wouldn’t want to commit to anything right now, but he didn’t even want to discuss that scenario.
James just averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2024-25. The 40-year-old’s game is likely to decline in a year’s time, but he should still be playing at an All-Star level at the least.
Players of that caliber do not grow on trees, and teams tend to hold on to them. Pelinka, though, appears to be sending a signal here that the Lakers might be comfortable with the James era coming to an end in 2026.
James joined the Lakers in 2018 and led them to a championship in 2020. The 21-time All-Star had been the face of the franchise for the longest time, but has now seemingly been usurped by Luka Doncic.
It’s Doncic’s interests that the Lakers now have in mind. Pelinka is looking to build the ideal roster around the Slovenian, and perhaps James isn’t viewed as a piece they want next to him for whatever reason.
NBA insider Marc Stein had reported that the Lakers’ preferred scenario is James’ contract drops off their books in 2026. It could well be that they don’t want to make a significant financial commitment to an aging superstar and want to bring in a younger co-star for Doncic. That would be a big gamble.
James’ agent and Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul recently stated that the Lakers need to maximize the present when addressing his client’s future. He wants to win his fifth championship, but the team hasn’t gone all in just yet.
The Lakers do have a tradable first-round pick (2031 or 2032), and you’d imagine James would love to see them use it to upgrade the roster now. Pelinka is only trading that pick on one condition, though, and a scenario like that doesn’t always come about.
It will be fascinating to see how this situation pans out. James opted into his $52.6 million player option for 2025-26, and only time will tell if it proves to be his last season with the Lakers.
