If LeBron James ends up wanting out of Los Angeles, which team could he end up playing for in the 2025-26 season?
While LeBron James recently exercised his $52.6 million player option to stay with the Lakers, the 40-year-old phenom has expressed that he “values a realistic chance of winning it all,” whether he’s a Laker or not. And that brings us to the possibility of King James playing elsewhere during the 2025-26 season in what is expected to be one of his last seasons in the NBA –– if not his last.
Let’s take a look at the “LeBron James next team” market on DraftKings Sportsbook and break down which teams are leading in terms of odds.
The market on DraftKings correlates to which team James will play his first minute with in the 2025-26 regular season. So, if he starts the season with the Lakers and gets traded during the season, the Lakers would still be the winning team in this market. With a somewhat competitive roster that includes his son Bronny, Los Angeles is a -550 favorite to keep James. However, if he does leave, the two teams with the best odds to acquire James are the Mavericks and the Cavaliers. There is some momentum moving in favor of him leaving because just two weeks ago, James was -1000 to stay with the Lakers.
The Lakers have a good team, and James has the obvious connection to Los Angeles with his home and several businesses being there, along with his son being on the team. Those factors will make it hard for James to leave the Lakers. However, in a loaded Western Conference, it’s hard to imagine this Lakers team making it all the way to the NBA Finals. If James’ top priority is to make one more run at a ring, then it could be in his best interest to move on and allow the Lakers to build around Luka Doncic.
The Mavericks have the second-best odds to start the 2025-26 season with LeBron James. There is an obvious relationship between Rob Pelinka and Nico Harrison, as evidenced by the shocking trade that sent Luka Doncic to Los Angeles last season. If the Mavericks want to add LeBron James to mentor their No. 1 overall pick, Cooper Flagg, that could be a desirable landing spot. This move would also reunite James with his old teammate Kyrie Irving. However, unless Flagg is immediately one of the best players in the league, the Mavericks are also not in a position to win a championship in the next two years, even with James added to the mix.
That makes the team with the third-best odds, the Cavaliers, the most logical choice for both sides. The Eastern Conference is wide open, especially with Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum both likely out for all of next season. The Cavaliers had the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference last season and what they need to get over the hump in the postseason could be someone like James with a championship pedigree. Of course, this would also bring James back to his hometown team, where he delivered a ring in 2016.
The Warriors, Knicks and Clippers are the next three teams on the odds board. It would be incredible to see Steph Curry and LeBron James play together before they both leave the game for good. Playing for the Clippers would allow James to get a change of scenery on the court but not have to change his life in Los Angeles, so from an off-the-court perspective, that could be tempting. Finally, the Knicks are an interesting option. Just like the Cavaliers, they need something to get them over the hump in the postseason. There has always been speculation that James wants to play in New York at some point and it would be a great place to end his career from a storyline perspective.
James is still most likely to stay in Los Angeles and play for the Lakers. However, if he was to go elsewhere, my best bet would be on the Cavaliers at +550. It would give James the best chance to compete for a ring, and it would give Cleveland an experienced player with multiple championship rings to add to its exciting young core.