LeBron James is not coming back to the Lakers. And he let them know before the clock even started ticking on free agency.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday that James informed the Lakers he will not re-sign with the team, choosing instead to test the market when free agency opens at 6:00 pm ET. The four-time champion and NBA’s all-time leading scorer gave the Lakers a heads-up out of what Charania described as courtesy and appreciation for their run together. That move also gives Los Angeles a chance to get its offseason business in order without waiting around on a decision.
Lakers president Rob Pelinka and James’s agent Rich Paul spoke shortly before the news broke, according to Charania. The Lakers had made it clear they wanted James back. But after 21 seasons, four rings, and one of the most accomplished careers in sports history, James decided it was time to move on.
This is not exactly a shock, but the timing is interesting. Rumors had been picking up steam over the last few days that the Golden State Warriors might make a run at James. A potential reunion with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and maybe even Anthony Davis if they could swing a trade, had fans and analysts spinning scenarios. Those conversations are about to get a lot louder now that James is officially available.
On the Lakers side, they already had one eye on the future. The team has committed max money to Austin Reaves and is clearly building around Luka Doncic, who arrived in a blockbuster trade earlier this year. James and Doncic have said all the right things publicly about each other, but there has been chatter for months about whether James felt the organization shifting its focus away from him. The Lakers also have big decisions to make on players like Marcus Smart as free agency looms.
None of this means James is done winning. At 40 years old, he’s still putting up All-NBA numbers and showed in the playoffs he can carry a team when healthy. But the question now is where he goes next. The Warriors make sense on paper. A return to Cleveland would be a sentimental ending. There are dark-horse teams that could try to clear cap space or swing a sign-and-trade.
For the Lakers, the James era is over. Two titles, four Finals appearances, and countless headlines later, it’s done. They’ll move forward with Doncic as the centerpiece and try to figure out what comes next.
Free agency opens tonight. The dominoes are about to fall fast.
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