LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second time after the 2017-18 season and has played the last seven years with the Los Angeles Lakers. He helped the team win the NBA Championship in 2020.
This summer, James decided to stay with the Lakers for the 2025-26 season by choosing to use a $52.6 million player option in his contract. However, he might still be open to looking at other team options before the new season begins in the autumn.
James has now played 21 NBA seasons and will turn 41 during the next one. It’s unclear how many more years he will play, but he is clearly closer to the end of his career than the start.
Tension Between LeBron and Lakers?
NBA reporter Jovan Buha spoke on his podcast Buha’s Block about James’ current relationship with the Lakers.
“I don’t think things are in the best place right now between LeBron and the team,” Buha said. He pointed out that the Lakers never released an official statement after LeBron chose to stay, which is unusual for such a big-name player.
LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, who runs Klutch Sports, said that James will be watching closely to see if the Lakers build a strong team this offseason that can fight for a title.
Could LeBron Be Traded?
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who has followed LeBron’s career for 20 years, recently said a trade isn’t out of the question.
“A few days ago, I would have said there’s no chance LeBron gets traded,” Windhorst said on ESPN Cleveland. “But after talking to people recently, I can’t say that anymore. I’m not saying it will happen, but it’s now possible.”
Earlier this year, the Lakers surprised everyone by trading for Luka Dončić, but the team still lost in the first round of the playoffs in April.