At the beginning of the offseason, it seemed like there was a chance that LeBron James had already played his final game for the Los Angeles Lakers. He picked up his $52.6 million player option, but the statement released by his agent, Rich Paul, to ESPN made it sound like his client preferred to play elsewhere.
Trade speculation swirled around LeBron — fans wondered if another Cleveland reunion was in the cards. The Cavaliers couldn't make that trade, though, no matter how much LeBron might want to return to Ohio (if he even were open to that).
After a few weeks of trade buzz, The Athletic reported that the Lakers and LeBron hadn't engaged in trade conversations, nor had there been talk of a buyout (why would LA do that?!).
On Friday's episode of "Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective" podcast, Windhorst said that he thinks LeBron will honor his remaining contract with the Lakers, something he's always done. The insider added that he believes the Lakers will win more than 40 games, a lot of which will rely on what LeBron does. For now, it seems increasingly likely that he'll remain in LA.
Windy's LeBron prediction is what Lakers fans want to hear
Los Angeles is prioritizing future financial flexibility, but that doesn't mean the Lakers won't have a shot to win it all in 2026. Luka Doncic's offseason transformation can't be ignored, and LeBron is LeBron.
The 40-year-old wants to make another championship run before retiring (whenever that may be), and it could happen in LA. The Lakers didn't make a major splash this summer, but they did make a series of signings that could work in their favor. Deandre Ayton revitalizing his career would be major.
The start of training camp is still about two months away, so a lot could happen between now and then with LeBron. However, the likelihood is that he'll still be in Los Angeles. If he hasn't pushed for a trade by now, it doesn't appear that it'll happen. The NBA is unpredictable, though.
LeBron staying with the Lakers and boosting their odds of winning a title is the best-case scenario for the Lakers. A trade would be tough to make due to all the financial constraints, anyway. It's in LeBron's best interest to stay in LA, for more reasons than one.
