The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into a pivotal 2026 offseason, with major decisions expected to be made to their roster. LeBron James and Austin Reaves are two marquee free agents the team needs to bring back to the franchise if they want to compete with Luka Doncic leading the franchise.
This is a new role for LeBron, as even two summers ago, when he negotiated his last contract with the Lakers, the franchise completely revolved around him and what he could do as their No. 1 option. James is the No. 3 option in LA, so he cannot exert the same influence he once held over the franchise anymore.
One of the best examples of LeBron’s influence on the team comes when they made the Russell Westbrook trade, allegedly on James’ say-so. It’s considered one of the worst trades of the 2020s, and the impact of it reportedly has cast a shadow on the relationship between LeBron and the Lakers, according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha on his personal podcast.
“I just don’t think things have ever quite been the same post-Westbrook trade. And that has led to, I mean, you could go back each offseason over the past few years. There’s always some article or report that comes out about the relationship dynamic between the Lakers and LeBron. I have contributed to a couple of those. So it’s been, I see it at times, and I think it just very much is like it can fluctuate season to season, or even within seasons, just kind of how hot or cold the relationship is at a given moment.”
The franchise gave up winning role-players such as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma, and proceeded to go 33-49 with Westbrook and miss the 2022 Playoffs with Westbrook. It’s unclear who was responsible for the trade, with some suggesting it was a move by the front office at LeBron’s direction, while others believe the front office made this decision themselves, with LeBron approving it when the trade was presented to him.
Regardless of how it went down, James definitely played a role in that trade going down. While he might not have expected the Lakers to let Alex Caruso go in free agency after a contract standoff, the core decision to acquire Westbrook isn’t something he can claim to have no involvement with.
That move failed spectacularly, and arguably hurt LeBron on the Lakers more than it helped him. The Lakers missed the postseason with Westbrook in 2022 and went 25-27 with Russ before trading him away at the 2023 trade deadline, immediately going 18-9 to finish the season and making a trip to the Western Conference Finals.
Those lost years of LeBron’s prime and the lost assets the Lakers gave away will never come back, so neither side should hold onto that incident when deciding whether to continue their partnership in the 2026-27 NBA season.
The Lakers are expected to max out a contract offer for James around $30 million, primarily because key rivals like the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are unlikely to be able to offer him more than a veteran’s minimum. Even if both teams open up room with realistic team adjustments, they won’t be able to offer James more than the $15 million non-tax mid-level exception.
Retaining James for his 24th NBA season makes more sense for the Lakers than letting him go to a rival for a fraction of the cost, especially with the win-now timeline around Doncic. Holding this decision up because of a disaster trade from five years ago will not be prudent for either side.
