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A new report suggested LeBron James’ future with the Los Angeles Lakers is not necessarily a guarantee.
In a YouTube livestream Wednesday, Jovan Buha of The Athletic suggested there is some tension between James and the Lakers front office, and that there remains a chance James could opt out of his contract and leave in free agency. Buha does not, however, see that as a likely outcome.
“There’s always a chance that LeBron can walk,” Buha said. “As we’ve reported at The Athletic multiple times, and it’s not just my reporting, it’s been Sam Amick’s as well, the relationship has been a little frosty at times. It hasn’t always been the warmest over the past couple years.
“I think LeBron’s going to be a Laker next year. It’s just a matter of is he opting in or is he opting out and signing.”
James has not answered questions about his future since the Lakers’ season ended. While no one seriously thinks he is flirting with retirement, there will be room for speculation as long as his situation goes unaddressed.
Reports have indicated that James opting in is the most likely option, but unlike last season, it is unlikely he will take a pay cut.
The Lakers have made clear that they are fully committed to GM Rob Pelinka and swung a trade to make Luka Doncic the future of the franchise. James will want to be competitive, and the team does appear to be positioned to do that. Still, any whispers of discontent about James and his camp are worth keeping an eye on.
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Luka Doncic's Thoughts on LeBron James Trade Revealed
LeBron James still remains a member of the Los Angeles Lakers...for now. Throughout the offseason, there's been much conjecture as to the future of James with the Lakers. While nothing unequivocal has come from the player himself, there have been some rumblings of discontentment — potentially to the point where a trade could be requested. Having said that, is there any real truth to these supposed rumors centered around the future Hall of Famer? More news: Lakers Rumors: Insider Urges East Contender to Make Blockbuster LeBron James Trade Longtime NBA analyst Anthony Irwin of Clutch Points broke down the entire situation from his vantage point on the relationship between James and the franchise. Unsurprisingly, Luka Doncic was brought up. The two are connected largely based on being global superstars in the sport. Doncic is unquestionably the future of the franchise. That much is quite apparent, given the financial commitment from the Lakers, coupled with his age. There's been lingering questions as to whether he'd want James as a running mate given the rumors swirling over the offseason. Irwin dipped into those waters and offered some real insight into what Doncic may be thinking. "For his part, league sources also indicated Doncic did not want James traded, but also understood James needing to figure out what was best for him the last couple seasons of his career." Doncic is savvy enough to know that publicly voicing his opinion against James in any real way probably wouldn't go over well for the team's health this upcoming season. There's also surely enough of a respect level here where Doncic recognizes the benefits in teaming up with James for a full season, given the pedigree of both athletes. Based on what Irwin said, there's nothing out of the ordinary here. Doncic seemingly has a tremendous amount of respect for James and appears to be highly supportive in whichever direction James opts to go moving forward. The connection on the court between the two was seen last year. While not a perfect fit, when pairing two players with elite basketball I.Q. together, you're left with some quality basketball. The result becomes even better considering that those two players are Luka Doncic and LeBron James. More news: NBA Insider Predicts Lakers Will Trade LeBron James for Younger All-Star By End of Season Latest Lakers News For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.
Jerry Jones again proves he shouldn't be making decisions for Cowboys
When it comes to major decisions for the Dallas Cowboys it is always going to be Jerry Jones' way or the highway. The problem with that philosophy, however, is that the Jerry Jones way has proven to be a failure for more than 30 years. It's long past time for him to give up control of the team and hire a real general manager to fix the mess he keeps creating. All of that is back on the front-burner again following Thursday's conclusion of the Micah Parsons saga, with the All-Pro superstar getting traded to the Green Bay Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. In a vacuum, it's not a terrible return. Clark is a legitimate starter on the defensive line -- and a very good player -- and two first-round picks are always going to have some value. But professional sports does not exist in a vacuum. There is always more context at play, and the context here is that an in-his-prime superstar (Parsons), that is one of the biggest game-changers in the league, and a player that was trying to make it work in Dallas, is now playing for somebody else because Jones could not get out of his own way. From the very beginning Jones bungled this contract negotiation, doing the one thing he does best — making himself and Cowboys drama the focal point, and what is best for the team a secondary matter. It's the Jerry Jones way. And it's a losing way. This situation did not have to end up the way it did. There was a perfectly reasonable outcome that would have seen Parsons remain in Dallas throughout the prime of his career and continue to be a focal point of its defense. All it would have taken was a common sense approach and an owner whose concern for the organization outweighed their ego. Every major negotiation with the Cowboys ends up getting drawn out into chaos. It's all part of Jerry's desire to keep him and his team at the top of the headlines. It usually results in him having to pay a player more money than he otherwise would have. And even that may not be a problem for Jerry because he gets to talk about how he negotiated and paid out this huge contract. This time, however, the plan finally burned him. If you want to reach, or if you want to carry Jones' water for him, you might be able to put together a somewhat coherent argument as to how this can work out. Maybe those two first-round picks will pan out in the future. Maybe Clark is a great fit in the middle of Dallas' defensive line. Maybe. Maybe, maybe, maybe. The more maybe's you throw in, the more likely it is they are not going to all pan out. Clark is good, but he's not Parsons. He is not as disruptive, he is not as good and he is going to be 30 years old this season while Parsons is still only 26. Two first-round picks looks good on paper, but the Packers are a pretty good team — and will be even better with Parsons — and those picks will likely be in the back half of the first-round. You hope to find a good player with at least one of them, if not both. The odds that either one is as good as Parsons are long. Since winning their last Super Bowl during the 1995 season the Cowboys have consistently been one of the NFL's most mediocre franchises. Never truly awful, but never good. They will make the playoffs semi-regularly, but never go anywhere. They have the longest NFC Championship game drought in the conference. They never get close to the Super Bowl and have not been bonafide contenders in literal decades. A sane owner would look at those results and would have fired multiple general managers for that run. Jones has no one to fire because he is the general manager. And he likes the way he is doing things. The problem is it doesn't work. It hasn't worked. And it won't work. History has proven that.
Post-Ashton Jeanty era gets off to brutal start for No. 25 Boise State
There had to be at least some expectation that the Boise State Broncos were going to take a small step backwards in 2025. They probably just did not expect it to happen so soon in the season, and so emphatically. The No. 25 ranked Broncos were absolutely humiliated on Thursday night, losing 34-7 to an unranked South Florida team that was just 7-6 a year ago. It was a rude awakening for what might be ahead for Boise State following the departure of Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty's historic season helped carry the Broncos to an 12-1 regular season, with the only regular season loss being a three-point defeat to Oregon early in the season. They ended up in the College Football Playoff where they lost their first game to Penn State. But with Jeanty on to the NFL (a first-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders) there was always going to be a huge hole for them to replace. Not only in terms of production and skill, but also in their identity. They had none of that power-running identity on Thursday. Not only did they allow 34 consecutive points to South Florida, but the Broncos also managed to rush for only 122 yards on 38 carries, coming out to just 3.2 yards per attempt. They averaged 6.1 yards per carry in 2024, tied for the second-highest mark in college football. On one hand, losing an early season game isn't the end of the world, especially in the era of expanded playoffs. Boise State could still run the table the rest of the way with a very manageable schedule and play its way back into playoff contention. It's also not uncommon for teams to struggle early in the season. There is no preseason in college football and everybody is just coming in cold right into real games. Sometimes teams take a while to get moving. But this is not a particularly good South Florida team, and for Boise State to come out so flat and be so uncompetitive in the opener is a bad sign for what might be ahead.
Micah Parsons will not have to wait long to get his revenge on Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons in a stunning move on Thursday, and the star pass-rusher will now get his revenge game sooner rather than later. The Cowboys have traded Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for two first-round draft picks and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Many were shocked that Dallas would trade arguably its best player to a longtime NFC rival, but the relationship between the two sides had rapidly deteriorated in recent weeks. Parsons issued a lengthy statement after the trade thanking Cowboys Nation, but it is safe to assume he has some sour feelings toward Jerry Jones and the team's brass. He will have a chance to express those frustrations on the field in Week 4. As luck would have it, the Packers travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys on NBC's "Sunday Night Football" in Week 4. That game will likely be one of the highest-rated of the entire 2025 NFL season. Players often shine in so-called "revenge games" after they are traded. In this instance, the player happens to be a superstar who publicly feuded with his former boss all offseason. Parsons will probably have a little extra juice for Green Bay's Sept. 28 game against Dallas, and who can blame him? Rather than paying him what he wanted, the Cowboys let the four-time Pro Bowl defensive end walk. Parsons' former teammates may want to focus some extra attention on him in Week 4.
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