LeBron James has been the talk of Los Angeles in recent weeks, and it’s understandably so. The four-time NBA champion’s future has been a central question as reports claim that the Los Angeles Lakers might be looking to move on and focus more on developing a team around Luka Dončić.
ESPN NBA insiders Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst report that the Lakers aim to move on from James by spring 2026. This news is surprising, considering James made a decision to pick up his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 NBA season.
James committed to staying, but the Lakers seem to be holding off on making an official announcement about it.
Several analysts point out that the Lakers’ decision not to officially announce James’ decision is unusual. An NBA executive also questioned the Lakers’ strange decision, indicating that something might be brewing behind the scenes.
Why is Trading LeBron James Nearly Impossible?
The harsh truth is that James is 40 years old and is probably going to retire in a couple of years. This leaves teams, including the Lakers, with minimal options about his future.
The 17-time NBA champion Lakers have not offered him a contract, which means James might play on an expiring contract for the first time in his illustrious 22-year career. Recently, Lakers insider Dan Woike also pointed out a significant issue should James’ contract be treated as an expiring one this upcoming season.
“If it’s a trade, then the next question is where?” Woike said. “The Lakers don’t want to take on money beyond this season. So they don’t want to turn [LeBron James’] expiring contract into longer-term money.”
“If it’s a trade, then the next question is where? The Lakers don’t want to take on money beyond this season. So they don’t want to turn [LeBron’s] expiring contract into longer-term money. Good luck…Who has $54M of expiring money the Lakers can take in a trade?” @DanWoikeSports pic.twitter.com/vyPMqWy9Ph
— Dru (@dru_star) July 14, 2025
He also said there is no NBA team available to take $50-plus million in expiring money and take part in a trade with the Lakers.
What Does James’ No-Trade Clause Mean for His Future?
Things don’t appear to be smooth between the Lakers and James. James remains silent on the current situation and has been linked with several teams, including one of his old teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James reignited trade rumors when he sent a heartfelt wish to close friend Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman over his contract extension with the Cavaliers.
James still has a no-trade clause in his Lakers contract, which also prevents the team from trading him without prior approval.
If there’s a possibility that a team is willing to take on James’ contract for a very short-term period, then it would pose a huge problem, no matter how much financial freedom that team already possesses.
