NBA Exec Says LeBron James Should Have Declined 2025-26 Player Option With Lakers And Signed With Cavaliers: ‘That Would Have Been The Smart Play’

LeBron James picked up his 2025-26 player option with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $52.6 million. For the first time in his career, James is entering the final year of his deal. 

The leading scorer in NBA history, James wants the Lakers to trade their future draft picks to acquire win-now players this offseason so he can compete for a championship next season, sources told Hoops Wire. 

However, sources said Rob Pelinka wants to keep the Lakers’ salary-cap sheet as clear as possible starting next offseason, allowing the franchise to find Luka Doncic’s future partner in crime either in free agency or via trade. Los Angeles will have access to use first-round picks in 2026, 2031 and 2033 for a single deal. 

James and the Lakers are not on the same page right now, which is why one NBA exec told Hoops Wire that the basketball legend should have declined his player option with the Lakers and signed with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. 

“I’m not gonna sit here and tell someone to say no to over $50 million, but LeBron is a billionaire, man,” the NBA exec said. “He has enough money and makes enough off the court. If I were in his camp, I would have told him to decline his player option with the Lakers and sign with the Cavs. That would have been the smart play.

“Do you know how dangerous Cleveland would have been? LeBron starting next to Donovan (Mitchell), Evan (Mobley), Jarrett (Allen) and Darius (Garland)? They would have walked to the NBA Finals and it would have been a storybook ending for LeBron to finish his career in Cleveland. I think he made a mistake.”

The Cavaliers can’t trade for James because the Akron native makes too much money. The only way for Cleveland to get James is if the forward and the Lakers agree to a buyout before next season starts and James signs with the Cavaliers as an unrestricted free agent. 

All signs point toward James starting next season on the Lakers, who have Doncic and Bronny James, but LeBron and Los Angeles are not seeing eye-to-eye right now.