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LeBron James seemingly makes U-turn on LA Lakers future, ‘business as usual’ point made

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Aaditya Krishnamurthy | Last updated Jul 13, 2025 10:30 AM ET

LeBron James and the LA Lakers seem to have come to an agreement on his future with the team.

LeBron James has been an incredibly important star in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers. After Kobe Bryant retired in 2016, James took on the mantle as the leader of the franchise, even winning them their first NBA championship in 10 years in 2020.

However, once the Lakers acquired Luka Doncic this February, James seemingly stopped being their top priority.

Bill Simmons believes LeBron is playing second-fiddle to Luka on the Lakers. And given the way the 40-year-old superstar has acted in recent weeks, that status might be getting to him.

James’ agent Rich Paul made it clear the star understands the Lakers are prioritizing Doncic. But his desire to win a championship could see James leave this season.

But could the two sides have come to an understanding? According to one expert, the Lakers and LeBron are in business for the foreseeable future.

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LeBron James and LA Lakers are working together, no trade request made

Dave McMenamin made an extensive report about LeBron James and the LA Lakers. During his conversations with Lakers executives in Las Vegas, he learned the Lakers want to maximize LeBron and Luka Doncic’s timelines.

As for LeBron James, Rich Paul revealed that while several teams have reached out about a trade, James and his camp have made no such request.

“I checked in with both the Lakers and LeBron’s camp on this one. For the Lakers, it’s business as usual. They have the motivation to compete at the highest level and maximize not just LeBron’s timeline, but they want to compete now with Luka Doncic’s.

“Some are positive that the true cause of the situation was the Lakers not offering LeBron a contract beyond next season, but Rich Paul also clarified that LeBron has not requested a trade, and hasn’t even brought up the possibility of one in future discussions with the Lakers.

“Paul did tell me that four teams contacted him with interest in trading for LeBron, though. So now we wait.”

With LeBron James at the Lakers game tonight, I asked him if he would like to speak to me about his future with the franchise. “I ain’t got nothing to talk about,” he said. My report for ESPN from Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/sFRgCYHmqw
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 13, 2025

LA Lakers have assets they will use to improve roster

McMenamin also reported that the Lakers are waiting on some key decisions with their roster, and will try to use their expiring contracts and first-round pick to make moves to improve their roster.

“The Lakers have a full roster and have a decision to make on Shake Milton’s contract by July 20th.

“They also have three expiring contracts in Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and Maxi Kleber, plus their 2031 first-round draft pick they can use in trade scenarios.”

Despite rumors that the Lakers were preparing for LeBron James to leave, it appears the star is staying put and is committed to the team.

But more importantly, the Lakers are committed to LeBron. If the team wants to compete for a championship, they have the perfect base in the star duo of LeBron and Doncic.

Adding the right pieces around them should be the priority. Landing Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia is a great first step.

President Rob Pelinka must try to craft some more strong moves to put the Lakers in the best possible position to compete next season.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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