LeBron James is certainly not going to be a Lakers player after the 2025-26 season. In a bombshell report that ESPN’s NBA Insiders Ramona Shelbourne and Brian Windhorst published today, some shocking revelations about LeBron James’ current situation with the Lakers came to light.
A few of their most noteworthy observations were regarding what LeBron James really felt about their transition to a rebuild around Luka Doncic and James’ seemingly decided exit timeline.
“James understood the Lakers taking advantage of an opportunity to pivot to the younger superstar. But from James’ perspective, sources said, nuance was sometimes lost during the transition. Doncic had never asked to be a Laker. James, for his part, had chosen L.A., coming in 2018 when the team had missed the playoffs five consecutive seasons, the worst run for the franchise since it moved from Minneapolis. Two years later, James had helped deliver a 17th championship.”
This highlights that James seems to feel that he did not get the respect he deserved for his contributions to the Lakers. Just yesterday, Shams Charania put a two-month timeline on the Lakers’ window to decide on whether to trade James or keep him for another season.
But this report states that James is most likely not going to get any more contract offers from the Lakers, making this certainly his last year in LA.
“The Lakers had already made their statement in not offering James a contract beyond this season. It was abundantly clear that the 21-time All-Star’s time as the face of the Lakers had, for the first time, a planned end date, even if James’ record-setting NBA career did not yet. Whether the 2025-26 season is to be James’ final season in the NBA is up to him. But if he wanted the kind of Hollywood ending that only the Lakers can give legends of the game, the release date was set. Spring, 2026. Luka Doncic in, LeBron James out.”
Earlier this week, Deandre Ayton also claimed that LeBron James did not attempt to contact him in any way after he signed with the Lakers. On most ‘healthy’ teams, the veteran leaders are the ones who welcome a new player to the team.
But for the Lakers, it was the 25-year-old Luka Doncic who contacted Ayton, not James. This indicates that there may be rising friction between James and the front office, as he seems to be bought out of their vision and focused on his own.
According to the report, however, the Lakers will not let James walk away as a free agent. They will look to trade him before the February deadline in 2026. But what are his potential destinations? Let’s take a look at what paths LeBron James can take now.
What’s Next For LeBron James?
According to HoopsHype, the Warriors considered making another trade offer for James that could potentially help him join forces with his close friend, Stephen Curry. We also believe that the Mavericks are in the best position to potentially make an offer for James, but they are reportedly only interested in him if he gets bought out.
James averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds in the 2024-25 season. He can still be a significant contributor to a contending team’s championship ambitions. LeBron’s former team, the Cavaliers, is also expected to be in play, just because it is LeBron James.
But the NBA’s rules are a major barrier for the Cavaliers as they are in the second apron already and will potentially risk losing a championship-contending core if they trade for James.
Therefore, the harsh truth for James remains that he is a 40-year-old with a $52.6 million contract, which is a major ask to meet with how the NBA is currently set up. While most teams are not interested in trading for James, the Warriors have suddenly emerged as a potential trade destination for him.
Ever since James picked up his $52.6 million player option, there have been speculations on his future with the Lakers. He even seemed to get passive-aggressive with the team, and there were multiple reports of James wanting to leave the Lakers.
So the questions that pop up in most of our heads are: Will James finally get traded for the first time in his career? Could the Lakers take a low-ball offer just to get rid of James’ contract? Or will they concede to his demands and buy James out of his contract so that he can join a contender, if they don’t find a trade destination?
We could hear news of James’ departure from the Lakers any day now. It will be interesting to see where he lands if the Lakers can trade him or buy him out.
