Predicting what 41-year-old LeBron James will want to do a year from now is a fool’s errand. Even one of basketball insider Marc Stein’s sources tried to convey the same sentiment in kinder words when discussing LeBron’s future: “It all really depends on how this coming season goes.”
LeBron’s future was the hot topic at the NBA Summer League, however, the conversations ultimately went in circles because the only realistic option after he picked up his $52.6 million player option was for him to spend the next season in Los Angeles. There isn’t a trade to a team he wants to be on that’s available, and a buyout is highly unlikely.
But what about the season after that, a 24th LeBon season where he turns 42? Stein speculated about that in his Saturday Substack missive.
I believe that, by saying what I just said in the previous paragraph, it means that I expect him to retire in a uniform that isn’t purple and gold. It’s pretty clear at this juncture that the Lakers have launched the Luka Dončić Era. It certainly appears as though they are approaching the 2025-26 season as LeBron’s last in Tinseltown. If James doesn’t want retirement forced upon him, as one suspects, that almost certainly means he would have to find a new team next summer…
I believe that the Warriors, who have shown an interest in acquiring James dating to the February 2024 trade deadline some 18 months ago, will remain in the mix if James ever does reach the point that he’s looking for a last hurrah elsewhere.
Then there are the Dallas rumors, about LeBron wanting to team up again with two people he won a title with in Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks might be interested, but not in a trade that guts the roster, Stein said.
While there is a fascination with where LeBron might play next, this comment sums up the vibe NBC Sports has gotten when discussing this around the league: LeBron is a fun parlor game, but Giannis Antetokounmpo is the player teams are really watching closely.
I believe that Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee… still holds far greater behind-closed-doors interest among rival teams than the ongoing chatter about how much longer James is A) likely to play and/or B) be a Laker.