Skip Bayless thinks LeBron could finish career with Clippers: “If the Lakers say no, is it the Clippers or bust?” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
If the saying that all good things must come to an end holds any truth, then it’s only fair to say that all great things eventually run their course too. And whether we like it or not, that’s probably what’s waiting just around the corner for one of the, for some, the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball — LeBron James.
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The King still has one more year on his deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, and while that might sound like plenty of time in real-world terms, it’s basically a blink in NBA years. Especially when you factor in the age, the mileage and the shifting landscape around him in Los Angeles. For the first time since arriving in La La Land, LeBron’s future doesn’t feel as guaranteed.
The Lakers are moving away from Bron
The purple and gold are clearly pivoting toward the future. They just handed Luka Doncic the keys to the franchise, locking him up on a three-year, $165 million deal. Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? The 26-year-old Slovenian sensation is already an all-time talent, and his best basketball is still ahead of him.
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But the moment the ink dried, the LeBron question popped up again. Where does he fit in now? Is it still his team, or is he officially on borrowed time?
Well, Skip Bayless, the No. 1 LeBron criticizer (read: hater) in sports media, thinks James may already be eyeing a way to finish his career across the hallway, in the “other team” in the City of Angels.
“If, deep down, LeBron doesn’t want to finish anywhere else but in L.A., then what’s left? If the Lakers say no, is it the Clippers or bust?” questioned the analyst.
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Skip didn’t stop there. He brought up the Ty Lue connection, the coach who was in LeBron’s corner during that iconic 2016 comeback in Cleveland, and even speculated whether LeBron’s recent Instagram activity was less about training and more about sending a message.
“Reunite with Ty Lue, with whom LeBron won his last REAL championship back in Cleveland. This is contingent on the Clippers wanting him. I don’t know if that they would. But even if they did want him it’s not gonna be for 50 or 60 million bucks. Not with their cap situation. I guess that why LeBron started posting pictures out of at the Clippers facility. Maybe he was starting to beg them, but he was definitely huffing and puffing and bluffing the Lakers…” Skip pointed out bluntly.
The timing is suspicious indeed
Of course, none of this would be a thing if James hadn’t posted a shot of himself grinding in the Clippers’ facility. That move alone added rocket fuel to Skip’s take. Whether it was strategic trolling, a flex of his power, or just LeBron being LeBron, the timing couldn’t have been more suspicious.
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But let’s be real, this is still a long shot. The King is still wearing purple and gold, still showing up to work, still trying to pass the torch to Luka, the guy most people believe will carry the league through the next generation.
As for the Clippers? They’re loading up with a bunch of veterans chasing their last shot at glory, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Chris Paul, Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez, names that were elite a couple of years ago and still dangerous today, but all on the back nine of their careers. If LeBron were to join that squad, it wouldn’t be a superteam. It would be a retirement home with championship dreams.
So yeah, Skip’s prediction might make for good TV, and the Clippers jersey swap edits might keep popping up in your feed. But for now? It still feels like a typical Bayless reach.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 7, 2025, where it first appeared.