Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is set to turn 41 in the middle of next season, and while many assumed he would finish his career in L.A., recent comments from his agent, Rich Paul, raised eyebrows.
"LeBron wants to compete for a championship," Paul told ESPN. "He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we've had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career."
Paul made those comments after James exercised his $52.6 million player option for next season with the Lakers. Nothing has come of Paul's comments, and as things stand, James will rep the purple and gold in 2025-26.
However, if things change and James wants to leave, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst revealed that James wouldn’t be the priority this offseason — his teammate Luka Doncic would be.
"There is no update, Dan. LeBron is continuing to watch, but he is still under contract for $53 million, which makes, no matter what anything is said, both verbally or non-verbally, his likelihood of remaining a Laker," Windhorst said on ESPN's "Get Up." "I can't emphasize what I'm about to say enough. Regardless of who they sign at center, regardless of what LeBron does with his option, regardless of any backup signings they make, the number one most important thing for the Lakers this offseason is getting Luka Doncic into a contract extension, which they can do after August 2nd."
Doncic, a five-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA First Team selection, still has two seasons left on his current contract with the Lakers. However, the 26-year-old has a player option for 2026-27, so the team wants to lock him into a longer deal before he can leave as a free agent.
Windhorst went on to warn fans that Doncic may not sign on that day as he'll be playing with the Slovenian national team.
"And I'm going to sound this warning now," Windhorst said. "He's probably not going to sign August 2nd. He's going to be playing with the Slovenian national team until mid-September, and he may not entertain that even issue until he comes back to the U.S. at that time. So it could be a long wait, but make no mistake, this offseason is not about LeBron for the Lakers. It is about Luka."
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and guard Luka Doncic (77).
Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
Many might question why James, arguably the greatest basketball player ever, wouldn’t be the priority in this situation, but it’s clear it's because of his age and the long-term future of the organization.
If it comes to it and James wants out, the Lakers would be willing to sacrifice the upcoming season in order to lock up Doncic and extend their championship window for years to come.
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