LeBron James has not yet announced if he'll return for a 24th NBA season. If he does though, there's no guarantee he'll re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Although the Lakers were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs, it was very apparent that James still has what it takes to play his best basketball in the biggest moments. The 41-year-old forward averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game this postseason. That being said, he's not ready to commit to another year in the NBA.
"I think for me it's about the process. If I can commit to still being in love with the process of showing up to the arena 5½ hours before a game to start preparing for a game, giving everything I got, diving for loose balls and doing everything that you know that it takes to go out and play," James said, via ESPN. "Showing up to practices, 11 o'clock practice, I'm there at 8 o'clock preparing my body, preparing my mind, preparing to practice, to put the work in. So I think for me, I've always been in love with the process … so I think that would be a big factor."
May 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half in game four of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images © Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images.
In the event James returns for the 2026-27 season, the Lakers are expected to meet with him and discuss a new contract.
According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the Lakers need to have a great plan in place for free agency if they want to sell James on taking a discount.
"The Lakers can't just offer James a number. They have to offer a why behind that number," an agent told ESPN. "Their plan for any discount would have to be coherent."
Does LeBron have other suitors?
If James is willing to move on from the Lakers, we'd have to imagine other teams will enter the sweepstakes. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks have been mentioned as potential suitors for the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
Interestingly enough, McMenamin also listed the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers as options for James.
For now though, we're waiting for James to announce his plans for next season.
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