The Los Angeles Lakers entered the offseason without discussing a long-term future with LeBron James, signaling they preferred the 40-year-old to retire rather than continue under his massive contract.
According to Sam Amick on The Rich Eisen Show, the franchise took no steps toward extending James beyond the 2025-26 season. “The Lakers, as I reported the other day, did not discuss any contract situation with LeBron that went beyond this season. That is the action that speaks volumes about how they see him right now,” Amick said, via HoopsHype.
Amick further explained the team’s ideal scenario was a farewell season to celebrate James’ career. “Their ideal scenario was going to be that he announced his retirement and allowed them to celebrate him for the entire year,” he added. “That would have been the cleanest, easiest way for this relationship to come to an end.”
Instead, James opted into his $52.6 million player option for the upcoming season, retaining full control thanks to his no-trade clause. As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted Sunday, “The Lakers really don’t have any control… They can only receive his notification of the player option. And if he would like to be traded, he can communicate that. He hasn’t done that.”
While the Lakers finished third in the Western Conference last season at 50–32, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The team faces financial challenges with James commanding such a significant share of the salary cap.
Amick highlighted the potential problem: “His desire to continue playing—which is obviously his right—will potentially be problematic, where they just have to reach a point where, you know, they can’t continue doling out $50-plus million in that kind of way to him.”
Trade options also appear limited. ESPN’s Bobby Marks said the league’s front offices are not inclined to gut their rosters for a one-year rental, especially given James’ age and salary. “You would have to give up 4 or 5 players to go get LeBron James for one year and the unanimous answer was no, they wouldn’t,” Marks said on Get Up.
If a buyout were to happen, Marks suggested the market would shift dramatically, with teams lining up to sign James as a free agent.
For now, all indications are James will return to training camp this fall and play out his contract in Los Angeles, despite the team’s preference for a different ending. As Amick concluded, “It does feel a little crunchy and dicey at the moment.”
