LeBron James and Rich Paul wanted the Los Angeles Lakers to be serious about title contention in the final years of the legendary superstar's career. Marc Stein is reporting that is exactly where the Lakers are trending as the offseason marches forward.
The NBA insider returned with his latest drop of rumor mill findings on Monday. The Lakers were at the forefront of the juicy gossip. The report indicated that Rob Pelinka and the Lakers are officially in 'win-now mode.'
Stein wrote, "They will be on the lookout, I'm told, for the proverbial right deal to present itself to upgrade on the wing. ... The Lakers' reluctance in the early stages of the offseason to consider trades for contracts that stretch beyond the 2025-26 season has thawed somewhat."
There was an important caveat here. The Lakers were not expected to trade for 'just anyone' according to Stein. However, his league sources were clear that Los Angeles 'would indeed have interest' in boosting the wings with a two-way upgrade that can 'raise their ceiling.'
LeBron James trade buzz can officially cool off for good
This is it, right? This is officially the end of all the chatter regarding James potentially leaving the Lakers before the end of the 2025-26 season.
Realistically, it should not come as a surprise to anyone if those conversations do continue, to some capacity. Despite that, the stock that should be put into them just cooled off mightily after James presumably received confirmation that his goals align with the franchise he's playing for.
Was James the deciding factor in the rumored all-in push? Perhaps to some capacity, but mainly, the answer would be probably not. The real question is, does it matter?
The idea of going all-in would focus around the desires of Luka Doncic, who highlighted his need to win after signing his brand-new extension with the Lakers. After seeing just how elite Doncic has looked at EuroBasket 2025, Pelinka would have needed little validation to give that man what he wanted.
For LeBron, if the front office goals align with Luka's, but those goals align with his own, that should be enough. Doncic and James are more than enough to make any team they play for competitive on their own.
However, truly maximizing each spot in the rotation around them is what will bridge the gap from playoff team to championship contender. The hope would be that Pelinka identifies the right kind of two-way wing to get the Lakers to that point.