Rumor: LeBron James, Austin Reaves Don’t Like Playing With Luka Doncic, Lakers Want To Move On From LeBron

The Lakers acquired Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists with LA in the regular season and 30.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists in the 2025 playoffs. 

The Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 playoffs in five games.

Doncic can sign a contract extension with the Lakers on August 2 for as much as four years and $229 million. The superstar can also agree to a two-year extension to get him to 10 years of service in the summer of 2028, when he could sign a five-year max contract at 35% of the salary cap to maximize his earnings.

James picked up his 2025-26 player option with the Lakers worth $52,627,153. He’s the oldest active player in the NBA. The leading scorer of all time averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists last season and 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists in the postseason. 

Some people believe James could request a trade from the Lakers this offseason after LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, issued this statement to Shams Charania of ESPN:

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.

“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”