After the dust settled on the Luka Doncic trade, the most important question that remained was how long LeBron James would stay in the city. The sheer shock of losing Anthony Davis and bagging the Slovenian made James’ intentions unclear. Would he force a move to a different team or would he stay? There is no denying the 40-year-old is playing elite basketball but it is also undeniable his retirement is looming closer now than ever before. Fortunately for the fans, Chris Haynes shed some light on Bron’s plans with the team.
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Taking to his social media, Haynes revealed that according to sources he’s been in touch with, James is going to stay in LA after the February 6 trade deadline. He claimed that the Doncic-AD trade doesn’t affect James’ plans in the slightest.
“League sources inform me that LeBron James intends to remain a member of the Lakers past the Feb. 6 trade deadline.”
Sources: LeBron James intends to remain a member of the Lakers past the Feb. 6 trade deadline, and the relationships behind the blockbuster Luka-AD deal. #haynesbriefs https://t.co/X7H7eQE347 pic.twitter.com/uMTEMUYbDX
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 2, 2025
Thanks to Haynes’ report, Lakers fans can breathe easy knowing they’ll get to watch James and Luka Doncic play alongside each other in the iconic purple and gold. But while his stance for the current season is clear, James’ future for the 2025-26 season is extremely uncertain.
Nobody knows what LeBron James will do next season
Even the most die-hard LeBron fans have to acknowledge he is nearing the end of his NBA career. He’s let it slip on some occasions that he’d like to retire as a Laker, but yesterday’s trade has shown that nobody is untouchable in the NBA.
With his contract expiring soon, LeBron James can opt out of the last year of his deal with the Lakers and test the waters of free agency come the offseason break. If he finds a team whose project appeals to him, he could demand the Lakers let him go, and they’d be contractually obligated to do so.
The less likely, and almost unimaginable option, however, is that he chooses to end his career come the end of this season. Per his own admission, he’s conflicted on whether he wants a farewell tour or not. Should he choose to “Tim Duncan it,” James is more than capable of announcing his retirement come May.
During last year’s All-Star Game, James spoke on his imminent retirement, saying, “I’m 50-50, I’m going to be honest, because there’s times when I feel like I guess I owe it to my fans that have been along this journey with me for two decades plus, to be able to give them that moment where it’s every city and whatever the case may be and they give you your flowers or whatever the case may be. That seems cool.”
So while Lakers fans have the pleasure of knowing James will stay in LA for the remainder of this season, nobody knows what he’ll do next year. Nobody except the King and the closest in his circle.
