The Los Angeles Lakers have had a lot of drama this offseason, mainly centered around LeBron James. He doesn't seem to be happy that the team has decided to center its focus around Luka Doncic so quickly.
Trade rumors have been swirling around him for a while, especially after Rich Paul released a very strange statement regarding his future.
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James will likely stay in Los Angeles this season, although how effective he will be as a 40-year-old forward remains to be seen. One analyst doesn't have high hopes for him next year.
Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report believes that James will have a down year in the 2025-26 season.
"Even if you're not convinced he is finally going to fall off in his age-41 season, you still have to acknowledge the Los Angeles Lakers' clear shift away from him as the franchise centerpiece."
While James isn't the centerpiece of what the Lakers want to do in the next decade, he will still have the ball in his hands a lot next year. He's not going to fall off a cliff just a year after making second-team All-NBA.
Los Angeles is going to still be a good team, as long as James stays healthy. Hughes is not buying it, believing that James will still be an All-Star, but not an All-NBA player.
"James will still probably be an All-Star, but it's just impossible to predict anything but slippage for someone at this stage of his career."
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James is still going to have to be a critical part of the team if the Lakers want to have any hope of making a deep run in the playoffs. He hasn't been able to summon the same level of superpowers in the playoffs that he has in the past.
The Lakers are a good team, but they have to be an elite team in order to be better than the Rockets and the Thunder. Oklahoma City is still the best team in the NBA.
For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.
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