Whenever LeBron James suits up for the first time during the 2025-26 NBA season, he’ll be tipping off the last year on his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
That should be an enormous deal, and in the grand scheme of the Association at large, it absolutely is. Through the lens of this season, though, it’s nothing more than a subplot behind the real stories happening in Hollywood: like, Luka Dončić soaring to the top of the franchise hierarchy with a historically torrid start and Austin Reaves’ apparent ascension into full-fledged stardom.
James, one of the only defensible answers to the GOAT debate, has rarely (if ever) taken a backseat to anyone, but that’s exactly what’s happening now. This is clearly Dončić’s team, and that will be true regardless how much longer James will be a part of it.
“We still don’t know where LeBron James is going to be,” ESPN’s Shams Charania said during a recent appearance on the Flagrant podcast (1:47:30 mark). “Is he going to finish his career with the Lakers, or is he going to be somewhere else? I think it’s very much up in the air.”
Under normal circumstances, you’d think this would easily be the biggest headline going in Laker Land. Because James is not only an all-time great, he’s also a current great—or rather, he looked great when he last suited up, earning All-NBA second-team honors this past season.
Assuming he gets this bout with sciatica under control, he can probably still be great again. And that certainly matters to this club, as a trio of James, Dončić and Reaves sure sounds capable of contending for a title.
What has changed, though, is the significance of James’ future with (or without) the franchise. Sure, the Lakers would probably prefer he doesn’t take his talents elsewhere, but they aren’t living and dying with that decision.
The baton has obviously been handed over to Dončić, so it falls on James to find his fit in L.A. The organization, on the other hand, no longer needs to feel obligated to fit its plans around whatever serves him best.
Now, there are some semantics at play here. Because doing what’s best for James looks an awful lot like doing the best for Dončić, since both are elite shot-creators who can maximize however much win-now talent is put around them.
At the same time, though, a team catering to the 26-year-old Dončić clearly doesn’t face the same extreme level of win-right-this-second pressure as one orbiting around the 40-year-old James would.
The Lakers still can (and should) test the trade market for potential upgrades, but they shouldn’t feel compelled to exhaust all resources while squeezing every possible drop out of this season.
If the right offer comes along, the Purple and Gold should absolutely pounce. If it doesn’t, though, the Lakers shouldn’t feel the need to overpay for a subtle upgrade just to appease an aging star.
While there might be plenty of figure out with the long-term makeup of this team—most of this roster will be unsigned after this season or next—L.A. should feel generally good about its ability to keep fielding contending-level supporting casts around Dončić.
That’s what made last season’s deadline blockbuster so truly stunning to see. It wasn’t just that the Lakers managed to pick up a great player, it’s that they added someone who could be—relatively speaking—in perpetuity.
James obviously can’t offer that same kind of runway. There’s no guarantee he’ll even play beyond this season.
The Lakers have to remember that and act accordingly. James might be an important puzzle piece right now, but he’s no longer the most important player they have. And no one seems to know whether he’ll still be around after this season.
So, whenever L.A. weighs its next significant personnel question, the impact of that move on James must either a minor talking point or perhaps even not worth considering. The Lakers must act in ways that benefit themselves and their centerpiece, Dončić. Then, it’ll be up to James decide whether he wants to remain a part of this organization or not.