Subscribe
Follow Us
LeBron James remains the face of the NBA at 40 years old, an unprecedented achievement that perfectly encapsulates his mind-boggling longevity. He is coming off a stellar individual season and just logged 70-plus games in consecutive campaigns for the first time since he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers. This all-time great is causing many to wonder if a genuine decline will ever come. But the Los Angeles Lakers do not appear to be letting his enduring excellence alter their long-term plans.
When general manager Rob Pelinka completed a monumental trade to acquire Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in February, the franchise's vision seemingly centered around the five-time All-NBA First-Team selection. James remains an integral part of their current championship aspirations, which appear rather lukewarm after falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs, but anticipating this union to last beyond next season seems bold in light of the latest developments.
Following James' decision to exercise his $52.6 million player option, his agent, Rich Paul, unexpectedly revealed that the four-time Finals MVP wants a “realistic chance” to contend for a championship and is “evaluating what is best at this stage of his life and career.” Fans immediately started pondering trade scenarios and envisioning James in a different uniform.
Sam Amick of The Athletic acknowledges that this could merely be a tactic designed to light a fire under the organization this offseason, but LA may not be concerned regardless. Management has not discussed a multi-year contract extension, for it knows how such a move could complicate its salary cap flexibility going forward. Although LA obviously still values the NBA scoring king's on-court impact and off-court star power, it is not interested in looking ahead at this time.
Article Continues Below
Where Lakers stand on the LeBron James situation
“While the Lakers most certainly care about how James’ final chapter goes, and would love nothing more than to celebrate the 40-year-old’s legendary career all season long before he headed off into the proverbial sunset, any plans that go beyond that point present roster-building problems when it comes to paving a path forward with the 26-year-old Dončić,” Sam Amick writes. “That’s the uncomfortable truth that was laid bare Sunday.
“So long as they’re able to secure Dončić’s signature on an extension when he’s eligible on Aug. 2, as is widely expected, then every move from there must be made with a long-term view in mind. As such, the notion of the Lakers committing to James at a max-salary level beyond this season was clearly seen internally as unwise.”
Analysts and fans alike have lambasted Rob Pelinka and the front office for not making the necessary personnel changes to maximize the LeBron James era — the absence of a true center has become a touchy subject — and that criticism would likely grow louder if the Lakers failed to retain the icon for the remainder of his career. Luka Doncic is the future, however, and signing him to a monster extension could result in some tough decisions.
An already pivotal summer in Los Angeles is heating up to uncomfortable levels.
