Los Angeles Lakers Want LeBron James to Retire From NBA With Them

NBA legend LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are not currently on the same page.

James, 40, wants to compete for a championship next season and would like to see the Lakers trade their future draft picks this offseason for win-now players.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles wants to save its draft picks and future cap space since James will retire soon and Luka Doncic is only 26 years old.

Even though James and the Lakers are not seeing eye to eye, Los Angeles wants the NBA icon to retire with them, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.

“Despite there being obvious frustrations, James has always intended to retire as a member of the Lakers, and this remains the franchise’s goal as well, league sources said,” Siegel wrote. “Nobody expects James to be anywhere but in Los Angeles by the time the 2025-26 NBA season starts.”

James will make $52.6 million next season in the final year of his contract. He turns 41 in December and some people around the NBA believe the leading scorer of all time could retire in 2026.

James has been with the Lakers since 2018. His tenure in Los Angeles has been filled with ups and downs.

The Lakers missed the playoffs in Year 1, won the championship in Year 2, lost in the first round of the playoffs in Year 3, missed the playoffs in Year 4, lost in the conference finals in Year 5 and lost in the first round of the playoffs in Year 6 and 7.

“Many around the league are beginning to connect the dots that James may not sign another contract with the Lakers because he may not sign another contract at all,” Siegel wrote. “Everyone knows that retirement is on the horizon for LeBron, and multiple agents, scouts, and rival team representatives shared with ClutchPoints that they believe James is gearing up to announce he will retire after the 2025-26 season.”

James made the All-NBA Second Team and finished sixth in MVP voting last season. He’s a four-time MVP, a four-time champion and a four-time Finals MVP.