LeBron James picked up his $52.6 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers for his record 23rd NBA season, but he remains unconvinced the roster can deliver his fifth championship.
“I’m told he wants to compete for a championship next season and he is uncertain about the Lakers roster moving forward,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on “SportsCenter” on Sunday. “And my understanding is James is supportive of the Lakers positioning themselves around Luka Doncic, building for the future.”
Reporting on @SportsCenter — LeBron James opts in on $52.6 million for the 2025-26 season but is evaluating his Lakers future: pic.twitter.com/ZQWEJLUNqo
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2025
Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, James’ agent, told Charania that his client “values a realistic chance of winning it all.”
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future,” Paul noted. “We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
The Lakers finished third in the Western Conference but fell to Minnesota in five games during the first round, exposing their roster flaws.
LA’s biggest need this offseason is finding a center. After trading Anthony Davis to the Mavericks in the Doncic deal and seeing the Mark Williams trade with the Charlotte Hornets fall through, the Lakers lack a true big man.
“The Lakers’ perspective is they’re doing everything they can to build a team the right way, to try to compete for a championship,” Charania reported. “They’re in the center market right now, so you look at centers like Brook Lopez, Clint Cappella, Al Horford, all available in the market.”
James holds a no-trade clause, but if the Lakers struggle early and fall out of playoff contention by the trade deadline, difficult decisions loom.
“LeBron James is clearly of the mindset that he wants to compete for a championship and he’s going to be monitoring very closely, are the Lakers going to make the moves that puts them in position to seriously compete in that vaunted Western Conference and if not, where do those conversations go,” Charania said. “That becomes a subplot of this offseason.”
Last season, James averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 51.3% from the field and 37.6% from three, proving he can still perform at an elite level.
Matt Higgins worked in national and local news for 15 years. He started out as an overnight production assistant ... More about Matt Higgins