Subscribe
Follow Us
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have, for the most part, been on the same page during his tenure. Now that the franchise he helped pulled from its lowest point has turned said page to the Luka Doncic era, James has found himself on the outside looking in at conversations he dominated.
As a result, heading into Las Vegas Summer League, noise and speculation has swirled around their relationship — much of it pointing toward an inevitable and, potentially ugly, split.
That said, sources close to the Lakers confirm no direct conversations about a buyout have taken place and, when asked if the Lakers would entertain such an end to their relationship, it was unclear how those conversations would go. The Athletic reported earlier Wednesday that LeBron and the Lakers haven't talked about a buyout or even a trade, with the expectation ultimately being that he would be on the team to start the 2025-26 season.
Some sources take that a step further and posited that not only would James play out the upcoming season with the Lakers, but that he would also likely re-sign after the season with the intent to eventually retire in Los Angeles. There's also the possibility of LeBron making 2025-26 his final season, but either way, he would be retiring as a Laker.
What's next for LeBron James?
If LeBron James is looking to be bought out, it would be in his best interest to put that request in before the season starts, as teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks can still add buyout players once they’re available. Once the season starts, teams above the first apron would no longer be able to do so.
According to ESPN’s reporting, upwards of four teams have contacted Klutch Sports (James’ representation) about trading for the superstar, but, again, there has been very little talk between teams and the Lakers on that front. Most teams, according to league sources, are waiting to see if James is bought out before next season.
Sources say the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks are among the teams waiting for such an end to the James-Lakers relationship.
Easily the likeliest outcome to all this is James reluctantly staying with the Lakers and once again trying to make the most out of a clearly deficient roster while they wait for him to retire.
Frankly, this relationship isn’t in the best place. It’s also mid-July with plenty of time to turn things around.
Lakers officials are pretty tired of the incessant passive-aggressive jabs.
On LeBron James’ side, there is real frustration over the Lakers’ lack of direction since the Russell Westbrook trade.
The whole thing has become pretty awkward, and yet the reality is they’re both better off with each other. There is no trade the Lakers would make that would give James a better chance at a title than he has playing with Doncic.
There’s also no trade James would accept that would benefit the Lakers and fit their parameters as they look to pair Luka Doncic with either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic.
Again, perhaps James asks for a buyout, but he hasn’t tended to operate so directly with Los Angeles. Yet the only way he’d maybe become a free agent is if he specifically asks for it. The Lakers, I’m told, are not going to approach him about a buyout.
Taking this a step further, with James under contract this season but possibly looking to play more than a year, his options in free agency next offseason are going to be interesting.
James has prioritized maximizing his earning potential on the Lakers since he got to Los Angeles. There will be more cap space available next summer than there was this year, but how many teams are going to offer upwards of $60 million without knowing how much longer James will play and given the immediate pressure that would be put on that organization to win immediately?
After all this, how funny would it be if James not only stays with the Lakers this season, but then re-signs next summer because they still have his Bird rights? Again, sources close to the Lakers and around the league have indicated that still remains very possible, if not probable.
And so the waiting game will continue on. LeBron James will wait for the Lakers to build an actual contender around him and Luka Doncic.
