Popular sports analyst Nick Wright, a strong supporter of LeBron James, has made a shocking prediction about the future of the Los Angeles Lakers star.
During his appearance on FS1’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” on July 22, Wright predicted that James might not complete the 2025-26 season in a Lakers uniform.
“I am also not 100% certain LeBron James finishes the year as a Laker,” he said, while defending James’ decision to pick up his $52.6 million player option.
Wright believes the Lakers have made “moves around the edges” that could help James and Luka Doncic in their pursuit of a championship, but he is uncertain if the transactions are enough to compete with the dominant teams in the West.
“They’ll be contender-ish, and we’ll see how they look at the deadline,” he added, hinting at James possibly moving teams before the February 2026 trade deadline.
Mavericks Most Likely Landing Spot?
If James does request a trade from the Lakers, it’s widely believed that the Dallas Mavericks will be the frontrunners to acquire him. The franchise has attractive pieces, cap flexibility and outgoing salaries (to match James’ $52M figure) to complete a deal. Furthermore, since the Mavs are not a second-apron team, they’ll have a clearer path to acquiring James than other teams dealing with luxury-tax ramifications and penalties.
The James-Mavericks buzz gained more traction on July 21, with The Athletic’s John Hollinger reporting that the Lakers star considered linking up with old teammates — Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis — in Dallas, before picking up his player option.
“In particular, the whispers about him having eyes for Dallas — a place where he could have teamed up with former teammates Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving and young phenom Cooper Flagg — before opting into his deal were hard to ignore,” wrote Hollinger. ”
“Obviously, James wasn’t willing to leave $52 million on the table to take a nontaxpayer MLE or something similar from the Mavericks or another team. A buyout seems similarly unlikely. Additionally, the tax aprons on both sides will make any in-season transaction with a contender-class team challenging.”
LeBron James Has Not Asked Out
Amid speculation of James entering his final season with the Lakers, The Athletic reported on July 16 that the four-time NBA champion had yet to seek a trade or a buyout from the franchise. The report cited sources and executives who attended the NBA Summer League, where James was spotted with his Lakers teammates.
“In the sections filled with employees from other teams, scouts and executives around the NBA buzzed with speculation about where else James might play, tossing around trade and buyout scenarios that, league and team sources told The Athletic, have never been discussed between James and the Lakers.”
“Amid the constant speculation recently about his future, both the Lakers and people close to the NBA’s all-time leading scorer expect that he will be with the organization for training camp once the season begins this fall, league sources told The Athletic.”
James, who owns a no-trade clause, would have to approve any potential move.
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