There were no major surprises when Lakers star LeBron James took to the microphone on the podcast he hosts with Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash, “Mind the Game,” as Nash asked James about his future plans. James has 23 seasons under his belt and is entering odd territory–he still played like an All-Star in 2025-26, with 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game, while heading into a free agency with a very unclear future. James could retire, or he could decide to play again. But even if he does play again, no one seems sure that the Lakers truly want him back in the fold.
James, predictably, said he is still in the process of making up his mind. The Lakers were eliminated in a sweep by the Thunder only a little more than a week ago, and he is still decompressing.
He said: “I am still in the moment of just like, taking my time. I haven’t even really thought about it too much. Obviously, I understand I am a free agent and I can control my own destiny. If it’s being here with this franchise for the foreseeable future or if it is going somewhere else, I have not even really gotten to that point.”
LeBron James Could Wait Until August to Decide Future
Again, understandable. But then James kept going and if there are concerns about whether he actually has a future with the Lakers, he certainly raised eyebrows with what he said next.
Said James: “At some point, up in June, late June, as July rolls around and free agency starts to get going, July rolls in and maybe into August, I’ll start to kind of get a feel for you know, what my future might look like. If it’s continuing to play the game that I love, which I know I can still give so much to the game and play at a high level, or if it’s not.
“But I have not got to that point yet. When I get there, it’ll be fun to see what the future can hold, whether it is, like I said, in another NBA arena for another year or not.”
Lakers Can’t Wait That Long on LeBron James
If you’re the Lakers, the reaction is something like this: “June, that’s great. Late June, OK, we can deal with that. … But wait, July? August? August!?!”
Fact is the Lakers really can’t wait that long for James. The draft is on June 23. The Lakers would like some clarity on James by then, but even if he can’t do it in the coming month, they would certainly need to know by the time free agency tips off on June 30.
The Lakers have other issues–they could have significant cap space to use, and they need to decide on whether and how much to pay Austin Reaves. They could also make a trade around the draft, but only if they know what James wants.
Lakers Have Much Offseason Work Ahead
The Lakers aren’t just making decisions on James, and they’re not just making decisions on Reaves. There’s also Rui Hachimura and Luke Kennard, and the team is weighing whether to re-sign one or both. We’ll see whether two contributors with player options–Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton–opt out.
If the Lakers wait on James, they will lose in other areas.
“It’s LeBron James,” one NBA executive said. “You want to give him all the time he needs, he has earned it. But if you’re building a team, there’s no way you can wait. It is going to be, ‘We either gotta do this with you or without you.’ And if it is without him, then you’ve got some tough decisions to make.
“But you can’t build your team with a $50 million player who might or might not play. If he says he is not sure, they have no choice–they’ve got to move forward like he is not going to be there, and that could really make the decision for him.”
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