LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers future is in doubt, after reports emerged that he may be looking for a trade.
James’ number one priority for the upcoming season is winning a championship, and that does not align with the Lakers’ long-term vision. The Lakers said they are targeting the offseason of 2027 to build around James’ teammate, Luka Doncic, in free agency.
That has raised the question of whether James will be a Laker next season. If he does not think the team can win as presently constituted, analysts wonder if he could be on the move. James just opted into his $52 million player option, so if he were to leave, the Lakers would have to trade him.
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There are real signs that all is not well between James and the Lakers.
Nick Wright noticed the LA Lakers did not issue a press release for LeBron James’ extension
The Lakers have made a series of offseason moves, most notably signing center DeAndre Ayton from the Portland Trail Blazers. Every Lakers move was announced by the team on their website, but Nick Wright noticed that there was no press release for LeBron James’ extension.
He said on the What’s Wright with Nick Wright podcast, “The Lakers, who sent out a bunch of press releases for a bunch of offseason moves, did not send out a press release about LeBron opting into his player option.”
Wright, who is quick to dismiss non-stories, thinks that there is something to this. He continued, “That’s not nothing. Now, does that mean it’s everything? Of course not. But it’s not nothing.”
It’s pretty uncommon for a team not to send out a release with contract news from a star player. Most recently, the Phoenix Suns sent out a release for Devin Booker’s $145 million extension, and the Oklahoma City Thunder did the same for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
As Wright admitted, it’s a small sign, but one of many that not all is well between the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, James, and one of the NBA’s most successful franchises, the Lakers.
LeBron James did not send a welcome text to DeAndre Ayton
Another thing that’s not nothing: James did not send a welcome message to his new teammate, Ayton.
Ayton was asked on ESPN LA radio whether he had spoken to James or Doncic, to which he replied, “Not really yet. I definitely got a text from Luka. I know how the offseason goes, this is not my first rodeo, people are probably busy.”
Maybe LeBron was too busy to send a text. It’s unlikely, though. More likely is that James has no plans of being Ayton’s teammate and therefore doesn’t want to welcome him to a team he doesn’t think he’ll be a part of, or he’s sending a message to the Lakers through Ayton.
Either way, signs of James’ discontent continue to crop up during the summer.