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LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball up the court in the first half of the NBA Opening night game against the Denver Nuggets.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ roster complexion tends to change every few years. Typically in a significant way.
L.A. is currently on a quest to get back to making a deep playoff run. After last season’s disappointing first round exit, many are expecting year two of Luka Doncic to finish drastically differently.
The Lakers have earned to be recognized among the league’s elite; they’ll just need to lock in that designation by advancing further in the spring tournament. Before the season, not many had Los Angeles potentially making it to the conference finals. That has now become a reasonable goal for the team.
Regardless of how the 2025-26 campaign wraps up for the Lakers, the franchise has an offseason of tricky maneuvering on the horizon. Some decisions will be directly impactful on the team’s long-term future. Some decisions may even determine if the Lakers can be a top three team in the West again next season.
And then there is the LeBron James situation, one that has hung over the organization for multiple years.
But things will likely feel much different this time around.
Los Angeles Lakers eyeing two Nuggets stars in James deal?
James and the Lakers stunned the NBA world last summer. Both parties quietly exited the offseason without agreeing to extend their partnership beyond this season.
For the first time in literally forever, James is playing on the final year of his deal and will enter unrestricted free agency once the new league year begins in July. Of course, the Lakers could re-sign. Could.
Much has been speculated about what James wants to do beyond this year. Will he continue playing? Retire? Re-sign with L.A.? Take his talents to another organization?
That last part.
Many are sensing the Lakers have reached James fatigue. After eight years, James’ time in the purple and gold could be coming to an end. But how can losing James position Los Angeles to boost its roster?
According to ESPN, multiple sources have linked James to the Denver Nuggets.
Could the four-time MVP potentially join forces with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray? And how would that move help the Lakers? The publication drew out a potential sign-and-trade between the two franchises, putting James in a Denver uniform and sending L.A. multiple stars.
“Joining the Nuggets could also create a sign-and-trade opportunity for the Lakers, be it for restricted free agent forward and fellow Klutch client Peyton Watson or veteran forward Cameron Johnson, who is set to make $23 million next season in the final year of his contract,” ESPN wrote. “Johnson is shooting 42.8% from 3-point range this season and would give the Lakers another knockdown shooter to put around Doncic and Reaves.”
A win-win deal?
This scenario could prove productive for all three parties — James, L.A. and Denver.
James would perhaps be best positioned to win a title since his Miami Heat or early Cleveland (part two) years. With Jokic and Murray, James could operate as a prototypical slashing small forward and make the Nuggets offense downright impossible to guard.
However, James has demonstrated that moving teams has meant more than purely basketball. Would the four-time MVP want to depart L.A. — where, for a decade, he’s settled his family and has strived to prepare for life after basketball — for Denver at an extremely late stage of his career?
GettyORLANDO, FLORIDA – MARCH 21: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers’ side of this deal would feel glorious. Adding two offensive minded players wouldn’t help a sometimes shaky L.A. defense, but Johnson’s shooting and Watson’s three-level scoring would undoubtedly make the team more dangerous, especially considering it has Doncic leading the way.
The Nuggets’ side of this deal is also strong. Denver’s stock in the West would skyrocket. The team would sacrifice depth, but adding James’ leadership and basketball savvy to a Jokic-led team would feel championship prone.
As the offseason kicks off, expect plenty of James scenarios to flood the internet.
The James question mark could make for one of the most explosive offseasons in a while.
Adel Ahmad Adel is a writer with over five years of experience covering the NBA. His work has appeared on various media platforms, both national and local. More about Adel Ahmad
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