Things appear to be a bit prickly between LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Publicly, the relationship took a turn when James’ agent Rich Paul released a bombshell statement on the eve of NBA free agency.
It appears tension has been brewing between the two parties for some time. During an interview with ESPN Cleveland, NBA insider Brian Windhorst revealed that James was “shocked” by the Lakers’ decision to trade Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic in February 2025. James was not necessarily against the deal, per Windhorst, but the superstar was not involved in the decision to acquire Doncic.
“One thing I feel pretty good about today, although things can pivot, is LeBron’s time with the Lakers is beginning to come to an end,” Windhorst explained, per RealGM. “They are beginning to move apart. You can actually argue that started when they traded for Luka. I know everybody thought LeBron was in on that.
“I know I said at the time I didn’t believe that— LeBron was not in on it. I don’t know what else to tell you. He was not in on it. He wasn’t against it. I think he was shocked they traded Anthony Davis. But LeBron was not in part of that decision process. That was a move away from LeBron as the center of the team.”
The Lakers’ Relationship With LeBron James Is ‘Dicey’ Amid NBA Free Agency: Insider
The Athletic’s Sam Amick described James’ relationship with the Lakers as “a little crunchy and dicey at the moment.” It remains to be seen if James will push for a trade this offseason, or if this is simply a leverage move by the star to urge the Lakers to make more win-now moves. The Lakers do not appear thrilled to continue paying James beyond the $50 million mark each season.
“The Lakers, as I reported the other day, did not discuss any contract situation with LeBron that went beyond this season,” Amick explained during a July 2, 2025, interview on “The Rich Eisen Show,” per HoopsHype. “That is the action that speaks volumes about how they see him right now. Their ideal scenario was going to be that he announced his retirement and allowed them to celebrate him for the entire year. That would have been the cleanest, easiest way for this relationship to come to an end.
“His desire to continue playing— which is obviously his right— will potentially be problematic, where they just have to reach a point where, you know, they can’t continue doling out $50-plus million in that kind of way to him. So that’s where I think he’s looking at everything, monitoring, and we’ll see where it goes. But it does feel a little crunchy and dicey at the moment.”
Rich Paul on LeBron James’ Future: The Lakers Star ‘Wants to Compete for a Championship’
The ongoing rumors come after James’ released a complicated statement about his future via Paul. James appeared to leave the door open to finishing his career somewhere other than Los Angeles.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul explained to ESPN’s Shams Charania on July 29. “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.”
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