The vast majority of actions made by the Los Angeles Lakers’ front office this offseason suggest they are giving up on the era led by LeBron James to focus on Luka Dončić.
At first glance, moves such as allowing Dorian Finney-Smith to walk in free agency and only addressing the lack of frontcourt talent with the signing of Deandre Ayton thus far support the idea that the organization is giving up on James. However, look a bit deeper, and there’s a serious argument to be made that James is actually destroying the Lakers.
From his choices that have limited the front office to his lack of off-court commitment to the team, the 40-year-old is tearing the historic organization apart from the inside out.
Why Did LeBron James Feel the Need To Accept His Player Option?
Starting with the obvious, James opted into his $52 million player option for the 2025-26 season. Following this decision in late June, his agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN: “[James] knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all.”
This is a somewhat contradictory statement from Paul, as the four-time NBA champion has greatly diminished what the Lakers can do this offseason by exercising this option. He is set to be the 13th highest-paid NBA player next season, ahead of Cade Cunningham, Donovan Mitchell, and others.
Even moves that were perceived as the Lakers building for the future could have been avoided if James had taken a pay cut, including the loss of Finney-Smith.
Anyone who suggests James needs to earn this much money in the 2026 campaign is misguided, as his net worth is reportedly over $1 billion. He has earned over $528 million from his NBA contracts alone throughout his career.
It’s challenging to determine an exact number for his endorsements, but he is undoubtedly earning a substantial amount from companies such as Nike and Beats by Dre — not to mention his numerous other investments.
If James had taken a pay cut, the Lakers might have been able to utilize the full mid-level exception to sign a better center or guard than Ayton or Marcus Smart (which we’ll discuss in a bit).
Let’s make one thing clear: James is indeed worth that much money and has every right to accept his option. He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds on 51.3% shooting and 37.6% shooting from three-point range in 70 appearances last season. He finished sixth in MVP voting, was an All-Star, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team.
Other aging superstars such as Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant haven’t taken pay cuts, but their agents aren’t coming out and making demands for their clients. If James opted in and his circle remained quiet, far fewer people would complain about his decision.
In James’ defense, he took a slight pay cut last offseason to keep the Lakers under the second apron. It’s also worth noting that the 21-time All-Star expressed he would take a substantially smaller amount of money last summer if any of a select list of stars were brought in (including James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Klay Thompson, or Jonas Valančiūnas).
That also may have altered his decision this summer, but Los Angeles failed to land any of the previously mentioned players.
From a financial standpoint, the bottom line is that James didn’t need this money but deserves it; the problem is making demands about the lack of win-now moves afterwards.
Is James Hanging Up His General Manager Hat?
There’s a reason so many fans refer to James as ‘LeGM.’ He is notorious for having a substantial say in the trades and decisions made by the organization he represents. Two of the most notorious examples from his time with the Lakers are the blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis and the selection of his son, Bronny James.
Los Angeles tore apart its young core, led by Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart, to acquire Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans, aiming to compete for a title with James at the helm. To his credit, it worked. The Lakers hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2020 with James and Davis leading the charge.
Nepotism is the word most often associated with the Lakers drafting James’ son, and is the most apparent defense that the Lakers are not to blame for the drama between the parties. If the front office is willing to go as far as taking his son in the NBA Draft to appease him, it’s tough to say they don’t highly value and cherish James.
Whether the former USC Trojan was worth that pick is an entirely different debate. All of this is to say that James has always had a strong desire to be involved in his team’s decision-making process to build out and improve the roster.
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This all changed with the Dončić-Davis swap, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported swiftly after the trade that James “had no idea it was in the works.” It’s obvious this didn’t sit right with the native of Akron, Ohio.
Los Angeles’ biggest signings this summer have been Ayton and Smart. When Ayton was brought in, he was asked if either James or Dončić had reached out to him, and his answer revealed a great deal about James’ off-court dedication to the Lakers.
“Not really, yet,” Ayton said in an ESPN interview. “But I definitely got a text from Luka.”
It’s worth noting that Ayton is not the type of player James prefers to play with. The former No. 1 pick often displays a level of laziness and disinterest on the defensive end and struggles to hit shots from the outside. There’s no real excuse for James not communicating with Smart, who is much more on his timeline at 31 years old.
Smart made a similar comment about how he ended up with the Lakers, saying, “When you get a guy like Luka calling, referencing, checking on you, trying to see where you’re at to see if you want to come and join something special that he’s trying to cook up over here… For him to say that he can really use my help, that meant a lot.”
When asked if he had talked with James, Smart responded, “I have not talked to LeBron yet. ‘Bron’s a busy man. I’m going to talk to him when he gets time.”
It feels as though James is checked out on helping the Lakers bring in talent — and perhaps this is a sign that he may request a trade at some point in the near future. The same certainly cannot be said about his commitment to basketball, and this is one of the biggest counterarguments to the Lakers moving on from James.
Could James’ Experience and Talent Persuade the Lakers to Keep Him Around?
James is not only one of the greatest players in NBA history, but he’s also one of the brightest basketball minds the league has to offer.
His illustrious career has spanned more than two decades, and he consistently spends time with Hall of Famers (including Steve Nash on his podcast). Also, he spends a considerable amount of money each year to maintain his premier physical shape.
These factors benefit not only the Lakers if they hope to win in the immediate future but also Dončić and other young talent on the roster. This article won’t dive deeply into possible packages or landing spots for James, but no return will equate to the value James presently offers.
No one is willing to give up substantial talent or draft capital for what could end up as a one-year rental of James. Also, James has a no-trade clause, so he could choose his next destination (meaning the Lakers can’t just accept the best offer they receive). That’s the reality of a possible James deal, so it again raises the question: Why trade him?
He’s earning $52.6 million, seemingly isn’t willing to put on the GM hat for the Lakers anymore, is bringing the organization negative attention, and most importantly, if the Lakers are truly all-in on the Dončić era, why wait another season to pass him the torch?
While we’ve covered the first two points, let’s delve into how James is pulling down the Lakers with his actions. He has refused to address his future aside from Paul’s cryptic statement, leading to a ton of rumors and drama as this has become a huge storyline.
Instead, he has allowed the Lakers to be painted in a bad light, suggesting the team is betraying their star player as soon as another comes along. This negative spotlight could potentially deter other stars from joining forces with Dončić in the future.
If the swirling rumors were nothing more than fan speculation, why wouldn’t James or his team shut them down so he could focus on competing in L.A. next season?
It’s likely because he’s unsure whether he wants to play with the Lakers next season, which is a huge problem. If James has one foot out the door, it may make sense to move on from him — regardless of what he brings to the table.
As previously stated, no package the front office receives for James will put them closer to title contention in 2026.
However, competing with him for one more season shouldn’t be the top priority considering the risks keeping him brings from a drama and chaos standpoint. Keep in mind, Dončić has yet to sign a long-term extension with the team, which has become the Lakers’ top priority this offseason.
Not to mention, L.A.’s season came to a close against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, and the front office made very few moves this summer because James limited them with his financial decision. Ayton, Smart, and Jake LaRavia do not take this team from a first-round exit to a roster expected to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder are returning an almost identical group, while teams like the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Clippers have greatly improved.
To put all of this in simpler terms, they are paying an exorbitant amount of money to someone who no longer appears fully committed. Sound familiar?
Enter the drama-filled 2024-25 season for the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler. Heat team president Pat Riley made bold remarks about Butler before the season began, which lingered in Butler’s mind throughout the first half of the year.
Eventually, the situation in Miami imploded as Butler was suspended and showed little effort and energy before forcing his way to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline.
James hasn’t criticized the organization like Butler did, but he has created plenty of drama this offseason with Paul’s cryptic statement and his refusal to shut down the trade-request rumors.
Also, some fans blamed James during the Lakers’ first-round series against the Timberwolves. The public cited his lack of aggression and crucial mistakes in crunch time as major flaws.
The Lakers wouldn’t be trading James to get closer to contending next season, but rather to avoid possible drama and because it is the best move to set up the Dončić era. At this point, keeping James around seems to bring more risk than reward, and that’s saying a lot considering the possible reward is a championship.
Are the Lakers Seeking a Single Championship or a Dynasty?
The Lakers aren’t afraid to show that Dončić is their top priority and the face of their franchise.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne shared just a few days after the Lakers were eliminated by the Timberwolves that “Craig’s reserved a booth for four VIPs: the Lakers’ new superstar point guard, Luka Dončić; his longtime manager, Lara Beth Seager; Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka; and coach JJ Redick.
“The purpose of the meeting was as clear as their choice of door: Dončić is the face of the franchise now, and the Lakers wanted him — and everyone else — to know it.”
This makes James one of the most expensive No. 2 options in the NBA, behind Jaylen Brown and Butler, except that the latter two are not 40 years old with a single year remaining on their deals.
Sure, James could be a fantastic mentor for Dončić next season, especially when it comes to getting in elite physical shape and being a pro. However, if James is even more disgruntled with the Lakers than the public is seeing, it could be a chaos-loaded season for the Lakers, just as last year was for the Heat.
It would be nice to try to win one more title with James before he calls it a career, but if the goal is to win multiple championships and build the next Lakers dynasty, it makes sense to give Dončić the keys to the organization as soon as possible.
Yes, an offseason in which everyone gets on the same page and builds chemistry sounds ideal, but it has been far from reality. James, as noted before, is no longer involved in the Lakers’ key decisions. And as for building chemistry, we haven’t seen any evidence of James and Dončić training together or spending time together. Instead, James has been working out at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ facility while Dončić has been abroad.
How Does the Lakers’ New Ownership Factor In?
The other strongest argument against parting ways with James largely concerns ownership, and more specifically, the revenue he generates.
Few people in American sports have more influence than James, so losing him would undoubtedly hurt the pockets of the Lakers’ new owner, Mark Walter.
Considering Walter is paying $10 billion for a majority ownership stake, he’s likely not looking forward to the day he loses the male flag bearer in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
It is, however, interesting to view the Lakers’ revenue by year, according to Forbes. In 2019, or James’ first year in L.A., the organization brought in a reported $434 million in revenue. The year prior, the Lakers still managed to earn $395 million despite having a roster led by a plethora of young talent and no superstars.
Fast forward to 2024, and Forbes claims the Lakers generated an impressive $514 million. Much of this can surely be credited to James, but now that Dončić is in town, some of that loss will be made up for.
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As previously mentioned, there won’t be many suitors for James if he’s made available — although a handful of contenders, including the Heat, Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Denver Nuggets, could express interest for the right price.
If there’s no trade market for James, he’s sticking around. However, given all of the previously listed points, the Lakers would be foolish not to make a serious attempt to move on from him.
