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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 03: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers on court against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first half at Crypto.com Arena on March 03, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
No matter the state of the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> \u2014 enchanting or appalling \u2014 LeBron James<\/a> won\u2019t fail to make headlines. He\u2019s a story magnet.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last Thursday morning, James was thriving in his new low-key habitat.\u00a0<\/p>\n This morning, he is thrust back to the top, his shoulders suddenly weighted down and all eyes training on him.<\/p>\n He takes one look to his right, there\u2019s a South Bay Lakers star. A glance to his left, there\u2019s a mop-up minutes star.\u00a0<\/p>\n Before he thinks again, there\u2019s coach Redick calling another timeout just to sit a player down next to him on the bench.<\/p>\n No Luka Doncic<\/a> and no Austin Reaves<\/a>. Just the oldest player in the NBA<\/a> on the world\u2019s most savagely examined franchise trying to save a Lakers season from further falling into total agony.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fair or unfair, it\u2019s the new reality.<\/p>\n GettyLos Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James<\/p>\n James perhaps felt the challenges were finally behind him. He first was hit with a delayed start to his season due to an offseason sciatica injury. Then he had to figure out how to fit in with his star teammates. Now he\u2019s being asked to reclaim the keys to offense.\u00a0<\/p>\n And now his future comes into an even bigger and hotter spotlight.\u00a0<\/p>\n LeBron James to Be Dumped by L.A. for Milwaukee Bucks star?<\/p>\n Maybe the only man in basketball who has gone through more turbulence this season is Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>, the disgruntled Bucks star who has been wanting to find a new home for quite a while.\u00a0<\/p>\n Weirdly, Milwaukee neither wants him to play nor off the team. Huh.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 41-year-old James is set to enter unrestricted free agency in less than two months. But the craze surrounding his next move could very possibly start in a matter of three weeks considering the current complexion of the Lakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n There are plenty of scenarios regarding the four-time MVP\u2019s future. Could he return to Cleveland? Finally go to New York, where glamor and spotlight have long been tied to his identity? Could he stay put in L.A.?\u00a0<\/p>\n Does L.A. still even want him?\u00a0<\/p>\n Maybe. But according to Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times, even if James is willing to take far less money, the Lakers could have other plans<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd no, LeBron James is not going to be happy either, trying to carry a team that seemingly isn\u2019t trying,\u201d Plaschke wrote. \u201cSo what? Do you really believe he is going to take remarkably less money to stay on the Lakers next season? Do you really believe the Lakers want him back when they will have the cap space to trade for a player like, um, Antetokounmpo?\u201d<\/p>\n What Are the Odds Antetokounmpo Gets Moved to the Lakers?\u00a0<\/p>\n Antetokounmpo, 31, is running in circles.\u00a0<\/p>\n For years, he has seemingly made his intentions and goals clear to the Milwaukee front office before the start of each season. Nothing gets met. Antetokounmpo quietly finishes another season in mediocrity and boom, more trade scenarios clutter social media.<\/p>\n The two-time MVP is still under contract through next season. He has a player-option for the year after. Leaving Milwaukee would mean a trade. Coming to the Lakers would mean a direct trade or sign-and-trade of some sorts.\u00a0<\/p>\n Could Rob Pelinka and the L.A. front office wheel and deal this summer?\u00a0<\/p>\n As Plaschke notes, shaking hands with James means cap space to add Antetokounmpo. Who says no to a Big Three of Antetokounmpo, Doncic and Reaves, whom the Lakers are set to throw big money at this summer?\u00a0<\/p>\n It certainly seems more likely Antetokounmpo joins the Lakers this summer than staying put in Milwaukee, so the thought of him in the purple and gold isn\u2019t merely a pipe dream.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAdel Ahmad<\/a> 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<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lakers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 03: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers on court against…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":652993,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3790],"tags":[7,4034,1698,300,4044,251,150,4033,4043,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-706603","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-lakers","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-la","10":"tag-la-lakers","11":"tag-lakers","12":"tag-lalakers","13":"tag-los-angeles","14":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","15":"tag-losangeles","16":"tag-losangeleslakers","17":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116374891647874762","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=706603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/652993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=706603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=706603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=706603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"LeBron](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2266214763.jpg\")
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