Will Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James get traded in the middle of the 2025-26 season?
While it’s difficult to imagine LeBron retiring with anything else besides a purple-and-gold uniform on, the relationship between James and the Lakers has turned more complicated of late.
Now with Los Angeles turning its present and future attention to Luka Dončić, LeBron is no longer the priority for the Lakers, a situation that led Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes to predict that LeBron will be traded this upcoming season.
“The anointment of Luka Dončic, the failure to reach an offseason extension, the refusal of the front office to go all-in for rotation help this past summer—all of it points to a LeBron James exit,” Hughes wrote on Thursday.
“While it’s true James has non-basketball reasons to remain based in L.A., it’s still hard to imagine him accepting status as something other than the most important figure in the franchise for a full year. Especially if the Lakers aren’t a top-flight contender.”
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“Maybe if Los Angeles was loaded with star talent, James could talk himself into accepting a more supplementary role—one that still might evolve into him taking over playoff games in the spring,” Hughes continued.
“But the West is loaded, and the Lakers’ decision not to re-up with James suggests they don’t even view him as the second star they want next to Dončić whenever the team reaches contention.”
“Some of that is understandable given James’ age, but the facts are what they are: For the first time, James isn’t his team’s most valuable asset, and his organization isn’t gunning for a title at all costs. That’s not going to sit well, and it’ll eventually lead to a trade out of town.”
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James will turn 41 in December, but his numbers from last season suggest a player nearly ten years younger than that. LeBron appeared in 70 regular season games in 2024-25, with averages of 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds on 51.3 shooting from the floor.
If LeBron is indeed traded, his new team will be getting a very productive player.