The tension in Los Angeles is seemingly reaching an all-time high. Or at least, that’s what is shown on the surface. That’s because the Lakers and LeBron James are behaving as if neither party wants to work together anymore. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any options for either side at this time, at least according to one NBA Insider.
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Ethan Skolnick from Five Reasons Sports was a recent guest on Sirius XM’s NBA Radio to discuss the latest ongoings between the Purple and Gold and The King. While there were rumors of James potentially jumping ship at one point this summer, the chatter now seems to be him just making it work.
But it’s been pretty clear that the Lakers organization is putting a focus on their newest white knight, Luka Doncic. The Don has been getting all the press, and has proved his loyalty to the LA team by recruiting Marcus Smart to help the squad defensively. Meanwhile, LBJ has teased the launch of a new Euro Basketball league that would become a direct competitor to the NBA.
Skolnick has a feeling in his gut about this, and that’s an ending that sees both sides go their separate ways. “This feels to me, the Lakers want to get out of the LeBron James business. They want to pivot. He doesn’t like to not be celebrated in that way. It just feels he recognizes, he is not their priority anymore and that has created some of this tension and friction,” he stated. “That’s why we’ve seen what Rich Paul has come out and said and hinting things in this regard.”
“He recognizes he’s not their priority anymore.”@EthanJSkolnick tells @BGeltzNBA and @SamMitchellNBA why LeBron James’ time in LA might be coming to an end soon. pic.twitter.com/srfk4D3PYc
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) August 9, 2025
Rich Paul may hint at those things, yet if James were just mad it feels like it would be something he would happily tell the press. Regardless, Skolnick recognizes that the market for a 40-year-old LBJ is not as big as you’d think, and that means that James remains in LA, at least for one more season.
“Here’s the problem, though. It does seem, at least for the time being, they’re kind of stuck with each other in the sense that there really aren’t that many teams out there could really have the sort of desire for LeBron, even though he’s playing at a high level,” Skolnick stated, who then added that LeBron can also decide if he would even want to go to a certain team.
“But there’s only so many teams that would have the inclination to go after him and also have the pieces to make the thing work, and that he would want to go to. And that’s the big issue.”
What we are left with is this: a dangerous situation. After all the drama that the Lakers had with LeBron in 2024-2025 because of the Stephen A. Smith nonsense, having LBJ now being at the forefront of more negative news overshadows the good things the Lakers have done this summer.
Along with Marcus Smart, the team snagged DeAndre Ayton to help with their big men woes, and brought back Doncic on a three-year extension. It would be nice for them to keep this as their focus before they go into training camp next month. But the King strikes when he wants to strike. We’ll see if this plays through September. Hopefully, everyone is on the same page by then.
