This offseason has been a strange one for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers as despite picking up his player option for the 2025-26 season, his future with the organization remained uncertain.
James has a full no-trade clause and can’t be dealt without his approval, but there has been some suspicion that he may ask out and finish his career elsewhere if he does not believe Rob Pelinka put together a championship-caliber roster. At this stage of his career, LeBron is only playing to compete for titles and L.A. has fallen well short of that the past two years.
James has not asked out to this point, however, so all expectations are that he will be with the Lakers when training camp starts in a couple of months.
When speaking at a press conference to announce Luka Doncic’s contract extension, Pelinka was asked about his conversations with James this offseason and if he still hopes the 40-year-old will retire as a member of the Lakers.
“All of the interactions we’ve had with LeBron and his camp, Rich (Paul) in particular, have been positive and supportive,” Pelinka said. “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 families decision in terms of how long he’s gonna play. I think that’s first and foremost, we want to respect his ability to come up with his timetable. I think that’s really important. But if he had a chance to retire a Laker, that would be great.”
Even Pelinka is seemingly leaving James’ future up to the superstar, knowing that he has a no-trade clause and can control where he wants to play.
Reports this offseason indicate that the Lakers view LeBron as an expiring contract and are fine with him leaving after this upcoming season. Unless he chooses to retire, that would mean finishing his career in another jersey.
A lot can change between now and next summer, but James and the Lakers don’t seem to be on the same page with the organization now prioritizing Doncic’s timeline instead of the 40-year-old’s.
Lakers star LeBron James gets ready for Year 23
To his credit, despite all of the uncertainty, LeBron James has been in the gym getting ready for the 23rd season of his career. The Lakers star has been posting videos of his workouts, looking healthy and ready to have another All-NBA campaign.
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