LeBron James’ future with the Los Angeles Lakers beyond the 2025-26 season is uncertain. The four-time NBA MVP picked up his $52.6 million player option for the upcoming season, but notably did not negotiate a longer-team deal with the team for whom he’s played seven seasons.
However, Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said it “would be great” if James retired as a Laker. He made the remark during Saturday’s news conference to announce the three-year, $165 million contract extension for Luka Dončić.
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“All the interactions we’ve had with LeBron and his camp, Rich Paul in particular, have been very positive and supportive,” Pelinka said when asked if he expected James to finish his career with the Lakers. “Very professional and Rich has been great. The dialogue with him has been open and constant.
“In terms of LeBron’s career, I think the No. 1 thing we have to do there is respect he and his family’s decision in terms of how long he’s going to play. I think that’s first and foremost. We want to respect his ability to come up with his timetable and that’s really important. If he had the chance to retire as a Laker, that would be great.”
James’ future with the Lakers became a question after he picked up his 2025-26 option. Paul issued a statement to ESPN that appeared to put the team on notice, saying, “LeBron wants to compete for a championship” and “values a realistic chance of winning it all.”
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future,” Paul said. “We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
The possibility of James leaving the Lakers as a free agent has stoked speculation a trade could be in play if the team doesn’t contend for a championship this season, despite James having a no-trade clause. Insiders have circled the Dallas Mavericks as a possible destination, though previous reporting has indicated Dallas would only be interested in adding James if he were bought out from his 2025-26 contract.
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Yet perhaps that stance could change midway through the season if the Mavs felt they were in the championship hunt. Such a scenario may also apply to the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and even the Cleveland Cavaliers.
What was made even clearer by the Lakers signing Dončić to an extension is that the team intends to build around him from this point forward. If that means James’ chances of pursuing a fifth NBA championship — and playing a few more seasons — are better elsewhere, he might not finish his career with the Lakers. And Pelinka’s remarks did nothing to dispel that notion.
