The Los Angeles Lakers have been heavily in the NBA rumor mill over the last week. Most of those rumors have been connected to the future of superstar forward LeBron James.
James decided to opt into the final year of his contract with the Lakers, which will pay him just over $52.6 million during the 2025-26 campaign. However, it seems that the two sides could part ways sooner rather than later.
While there is still a chance that James plays out the final year of his deal, trade rumors have been swirling around the longtime superstar aggressively. He has been connected as a possible trade target for multiple times and the team seems heavily motivated to cut ties with him.
Rob Pelinka pulling off the blockbuster trade to acquire Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks was a clear pivot. The team instantly went from being led by James to being led by Doncic.
Right after the move was made, the front office started making it clear that Doncic was the player they were going to build around.
Los Angeles seems to want to move on from James as soon as it can. If that is the case, he might not even play out the upcoming season with the Lakers.
That being said, one NBA analyst has spoken out with strong criticism for how Los Angeles is handling the situation.
During a segment on "First Things First," Nick Wright spoke out strongly about the direction the Lakers seem to be heading.
"I don't know why the Lakers seem to be in a rush to get out of the LeBron James business," Wright said. "I don't expect the Lakers to find a player better than LeBron James to replace LeBron James this year or next year."
He makes a very valid point. On the outside looking in, keeping James would seem to be the better move if the franchise wants to win now. Los Angeles could win with Doncic and James leading the way if it makes the right moves.
Parting ways with James would take away a player who averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds, and a steal per game last season. Even at 40 years old, James is still one of the most dominant players in the NBA.
It will be interesting to see what happens between James and the Lakers throughout the rest of the offseason. Moving on from him seems to be the path that Los Angeles wants to take, but he still could finish out the final year of his contract and then head elsewhere or retire.
Only time will tell, but the entire situation has been quite strange.
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