Lakers Reportedly Prefer LeBron James to Leave After 2025-26 NBA Season

LeBron James' LA Lakers tenure may not end this offseason, but the possibility could be higher a year from now. According to Saturday's report from insider Marc Stein, the Lakers "prefer" James' $52.6 million contract dropping off their books in the 2026 offseason.

That means the Lakers are open to the idea of letting James walk for free once his contract is up.

"The Lakers' widely presumed preferred scenario for their future is letting James' contract drop off their books after the 2025-26 season," Stein wrote.

It is the first time James is on an expiring contract during his Lakers tenure. Before this, James had player options, which he opted out of and signed new contracts. James was also the franchise centerpiece then.

However, things changed last February after the team acquired Luka Doncic in a blockbuster trade, replacing Anthony Davis as the team's future superstar once James left. The Lakers have been heavily invested in their coming seasons with Doncic, prioritizing it over James' limited window to win another championship.

According to LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul, his client "understands" the situation the Lakers are in, but he continues to prefer a "realistic" chance to win another title.

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Lakers were 'happy' after LeBron James opted in

While the Lakers may want LeBron James to end his tenure with the team in 2026, they are happy to have him at the moment. During an interaction with Spotrac's Keith Smith, a Lakers executive revealed the franchise's true feelings on James amid buzzing trade rumors, saying:

"Whenever you sign a player to a deal with an option, you willingly give them the control to initially guide the situation. But this notion that a player option gives the player all of the power is pretty silly.

"If they opt out, the team is then a partner in re-signing them or not. If they opt in, then the team is a partner in whatever happens next, too. For LeBron, he had a player option and made his decision to opt in. We’re just happy that he’s still a Laker."

The Lakers are still trying to compete for the playoffs and go as deep as they can in the postseason with Luka Doncic steering the ship. With a weak free agency and trade class this summer, James' return to the Lakers was the best-case scenario for the 17-time champions.

He is arguably a top 10 player after earning a second-team All-NBA nod last season and was instrumental in their late-season push to become the No. 3 seed.