Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Somebody needs to save LeBron James from the Lakers

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 6:22 PM ET

LeBron James recently exercised the $52M player option on his contract. He will return to the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2025-26 season. Yet, for the first time in his illustrious career, James is going into a season where he's not the marquee name on the roster.

The Lakers are firmly in the Luka Doncic era. GM Rob Pelinka has started the summer by cutting the average age of the roster. Allowing Dorian Finney-Smith to leave the franchise and replacing him with Jake LaRavia is the perfect example. Therefore, James, who turns 41 in December, doesn't fit with what the franchise is trying to do.

For the first time in history, James could find himself being dangled in trade talks.

"First off, LeBron wants to be a Laker. If he didn't want to be a Laker, he opted out. He has a no-trade clause," Brian Windhorst said on a July 2 episode of ESPN's "NBA Today". "... My conversations over the last three days have crystallized that the Lakers are essentially viewing LeBron as an expiring contract. ... Never in his 23-year career, over the nine contracts he's signed, over all the different teams he's been on, he's never been on the last year of his contract. He's never been 40 years old. He's never not been the franchise player on his team. ... And what happens to expiring contracts in the NBA? They're viewed as trade pieces."

James doesn't deserve this sort of ending to his career. He helped bring a championship to Los Angeles. He's a top-two great. Being dangled in trade discussions at such a late juncture in his career would be borderline disrespect. If the Lakers can't envision a good reason for James to be on the roster next season, they should work with him to find a resolution.

Plenty of other teams would likely welcome a year of James, especially if he was locked in and focused on helping a team contend. And while trading James would also be a first for his career, it would be better to do it early, with him involved in discussions, than to force his hand mid-season.

James has given everything to every team he's played for. Casting him aside should be avoided. If the Doncic era is here, allow James to bow out gracefully. Otherwise, when the Lakers are looking to add a second star next to Doncic, they may find a tarnished reputation makes negotiations a little harder to do business.

Like it or not, James is still the most popular player in the world. Overlook his influence at your own peril.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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