The Los Angeles Lakers have put together the pieces to make a believable run at the 2026 NBA championship. With Luka Doncic and LeBron James leading the charge, and almost every player from a 50-win roster returning, the Lakers appear to be a few manageable tweaks away from contending.
For as true as that may be, the time has never been better for the Lakers to give serious thought to trading James—before the 2025-26 season can begin.
On many fronts, it's a blasphemous idea proposed by many who have made a career out of opposing James' every move. That incessant desire to drag his name through the mud for views has inevitably muddied the waters of any grounded conversations about how the Lakers should proceed.
The harsh reality facing Rob Pelinka and Los Angeles, however, is that James is closer to the end than the beginning—and the current circumstances may dictate a drastic change.
James remains one of the best players in the NBA, as evidenced by his All-NBA Second Team selection in 2025-26. The Lakers have a bigger picture to consider, however, and the rumor mill continues to imply that [a trade is on the table](https://lakeshowlife.com/lakers-may-make-bold-lebron-james-move-before-goat-acts).
Once a ridiculous idea supported by those whose job it is to cause on-air conflict, the Lakers must look past the noise and see the growing list of reasons to part with the four-time MVP.
The Giannis Antetokounmpo factor
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The market for James would be massive, even if he is set to turn 41 during the 2025-26 season. His name value and All-NBA impact on the court is profound enough to elicit interest from 29 front offices, even if the price they'd be willing to pay may vary.
One of the primary reasons the Lakers should seriously explore the market for a trade, however, is the simple fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo could have rival executives willing to pay a little bit extra for James.
Antetokounmpo seemed destined to become the biggest name traded during the 2025 offseason. The Milwaukee Bucks have lost in the first round of the playoffs in three consecutive seasons and co-star Damian Lillard could miss the entire 2025-26 campaign after tearing his Achilles tendon in April.
Milwaukee shocked the Association, however, by waive-and-stretching Lillard's contract and signing Myles Turner—a player whom Antetokounmpo played a direct role in recruiting.
With Antetokounmpo seemingly off the market, the franchises that banked on being able to make a run at him could be searching for a consolation prize. James would far exceed that status as a generational talent still capable of bending an opposing defense to his will.
Unrelated as they once were, there may never be a richer trade market for James than in the immediate aftermath of Antetokounmpo seemingly pledging to one more season in Milwaukee.
The Austin Reaves factor
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The Lakers are rapidly approaching one of the most important financial decisions of the Rob Pelinka era. Austin Reaves will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2026, and he's already turned down a four-year, $89 million contract extension offer.
In order to determine if Reaves is worth the massive salary he's likely to request in 2026, the Lakers must clear a path to figuring out if he can be a true No. 2 player.
Reaves has improved across each of his four NBA seasons, including a captivating 2024-25 campaign. He posted career-best averages in points (20.2), assists (5.8), rebounds (4.5), steals (1.1), and three-point field goals made (2.7) per game.
It was the third consecutive season during which Reaves improved his per-game averages in those five statistical categories.
For as intriguing as that is, Reaves has played with the luxury of having two superstars ahead of him on opposing defenses' list of priorities. Anthony Davis and LeBron James formed that duo for three-and-a-half seasons, and Luka Doncic is now pairing with James to create a similar hierarchy.
If the Lakers truly believe that Reaves would be worth roughly or even upwards of $30 million per season, then either trading James or decreasing his usage to make Reaves the No. 2 in 2025-26 will be an essential step toward avoiding an overpay.
The Luka Doncic factor
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There's no way around how appealing a Doncic and James pairing could be during the 2025-26 season. Even the early stages of the duo's coexistence were intriguing, as the Lakers ranked in the 70th percentile in net rating when their superstar duo shared the court in 2024-25.
One simply can't overlook how realistic it is that James could retire as soon as 2026—and thus cause the entire Doncic era to reset before it can truly begin.
The Lakers acquired Doncic to make him the new franchise player—effective immediately. In the spirit of doing so, they must weigh all options as far as building the best possible team around him is concerned, even if that means parting with a superstar like James.
Compounded by the Antetokounmpo and Reaves factors, it's fair to believe the Lakers' best method of building around Doncic would be to figure out who fits where beyond the 2025-26 season.
Trading James now could mean bringing back a return that improves the Lakers' long-term outlook, even if their 2025-26 championship odds take a hit. Questions would still remain, of course, but this controversial decision could be the most important step the franchise takes toward convincing Doncic to sign an extension and surrounding him with enough talent to consistently contend.
Considering [Doncic has openly stated](https://lakeshowlife.com/luka-doncic-knows-lakers-stars-win-titles-fixing-biggest-flaw-deliver) that he knows Lakers legends are measured by championships, positioning him to win should be the top priority. As strange as it is to say, the best way to do so may be by trading James while his market value is high and while the new roster would have a full offseason to jell.
Keeping James on the roster would by no means be a poor decision, but trading him could be the key to ultimately tapping into the Doncic era's full potential.