With the Los Angeles Lakers continuing to struggle, LeBron James' future in Purple and Gold has become one of the hottest topics in the NBA as he holds a $51.4 million player option for 2024-25 and could opt to move on this summer.
However, the Lakers "have not preemptively spoken to James' representatives about the star's future plans," according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
James' future in Los Angeles has been a hot topic since ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on his Hoop Collective podcast (h/t HoopsHype) that he expected the four-time NBA champion to continue playing next season, but that he wasn't sure if it would be with the Lakers.
"I don't know what's gonna happen with LeBron in 2025," Windhorst said. "I feel like LeBron's going to play next year, but I don't know if it's going to be for the Lakers—probably, but he's got an opt-out.
"There's reasons to have discussions about this."
James has spent the last six seasons of his career in Los Angeles, and while the Lakers won a title in 2020, the team has been mostly uncompetitive since as it's struggled to put pieces around James and Anthony Davis due to salary-cap issues.
Austin Reaves has turned into a solid player for the franchise, but D'Angelo Russell's fit has been questionable at best, and the Purple and Gold lack a true third option to help get them over the hump.
At 39 years old, James' career is winding down, and if he wants to win another championship, it's worth wondering whether he believes he can accomplish that goal with the Lakers.
The Purple and Gold sit ninth in the Western Conference with a 22-22 record and appear far from contending for another title despite winning the NBA's inaugural in-season tournament earlier this season.
While the Lakers have been linked in various trade rumors this winter as they search for upgrades—most recently to Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray—it's hard to envision the franchise making any major move that will help it compete with the likes of the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference.
It's worth mentioning that James has set his roots in Los Angeles—his son Bronny James even plays basketball at USC—so it's possible he may want to remain on the West Coast to close out his career.
However, given how things have seemingly taken a turn for the worse in L.A., James moving on from the franchise cannot be ruled out.
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