Lakers’ LeBron James Could Retire From NBA After Next Season

James has been with the Lakers since 2018. He’s played for the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice) and Miami Heat during his legendary career. 

The leading scorer in NBA history, James is a four-time MVP and a four-time Finals MVP. He’s the only player to win Finals MVP with three franchises. 

Los Angeles lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 playoffs in five games despite having James and Luka Doncic. James made the All-NBA Second Team and finished sixth in MVP voting last season. 

A top 75 player of all time, James wants to compete for a championship next season. The Lakers want to win, too, but they are more focused on building for the future with Doncic and keeping their books clean.

James hasn’t requested a trade from the Lakers or had buyout talks with the franchise. The future Hall of Famer will be in Los Angeles once training camp starts in the fall. 

If the Lakers don’t perform well to start next season, James has the option of requesting a trade and choosing a destination of his choice since he has a no-trade clause in his contract. The 2026 NBA Trade deadline is in February. An exact date hasn’t been set yet.

If Los Angeles doesn’t make any more moves this offseason, head coach JJ Redick is expected to start Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, James and Deandre Ayton next season.