LeBron James Tells Lakers He’ll Play Elsewhere In 2026/27

According to Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link), James hasn’t yet decided where he’ll be playing next season. Free agency doesn’t technically open until 5:00 pm Central time on Tuesday, so LeBron can’t commit to another team before that time.

The Warriors have been most frequently cited as the biggest threat to lure the four-time MVP out of Los Angeles. Reporting on Monday night indicated that Golden State is “far and away” the outside suitor with the most interest in the 41-year-old. The Warriors may be able to offer James the full $15MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, though that will depend on what sort of contract Draymond Green signs and what other roster moves the club makes.

The Cavaliers also have interest in reuniting again with James, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Cleveland was the league’s highest-spending team in 2026/27 and would have to shed some salary in order to make LeBron a competitive offer.

James initially joined the Lakers as a free agent in 2018 and has been with the organization for the past eight seasons, which is his longest consecutive stint with any team since he entered the league as the first overall pick in 2003. LeBron spent his first seven NBA seasons in Cleveland, then returned to the Cavaliers for another four years from 2014-18 following a four-year stretch with Miami from 2010-14.

During his time in Los Angeles, James earned eight All-Star nods and made seven All-NBA teams, averaging 25.9 points, 7.9 assists, and 7.7 rebounds per game on .513/.356/.730 shooting across 479 total regular season contests. Although the Lakers advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs just three times in those eight seasons, they won a championship in 2020, with James and former teammate Anthony Davis leading the way.

According to Charania (Twitter link), James wanted to inform the Lakers of his intentions before free agency began out of respect for their time together. That will allow Los Angeles to conduct its offseason business without having to block off a chunk of cap room for LeBron’s potential return.

The Lakers expressed to James that they wanted him back, Charania adds (via Twitter). However, a source close to LeBron tells Dave McMenamin (Twitter link) that the veteran star felt it was “time to move on.”

While it certainly sounds like the Lakers would’ve been willing to bring back James, having repeatedly expressed a desire for him to finish his career in Los Angeles, the team has also made it clear since acquiring Luka Doncic in a stunning deal at the 2025 trade deadline that the 27-year-old Luka, not LeBron, is at the center of the franchise’s plans going forward.

With that in mind, the Lakers are considered likely to use their newfound cap flexibility to pursue the type of “A-list center” that Doncic is known to covet. According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the club is likely to be involved in the restricted free agencies of Pistons big man Jalen Duren and Jazz big man Walker Kessler.

Detroit and Utah have leverage in that process, since they can match any offer sheet their RFAs sign, but Duren and Kessler are both said to be unhappy with how their negotiations have played out so far. Both big men are expected to meet with other suitors, including the Lakers, near the start of free agency.

There have been rumblings in the last day or two about the possibility of the Warriors pursuing a trade for Davis in an effort to entice James to choose Golden State in free agency. However, recent reporting has suggested no progress has been made on that front and that the Warriors remain interested in adding LeBron without acquiring the Wizards big man, rather than viewing the duo as a package deal.