According to reports, the Lakers would rather LeBron James leave after the 2025-26 season

LeBron James' tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers may not end in the offseason, but the odds may be higher in a year. According to insider Mark Stein on Saturday, the Lakers "more hopeful" James' $52.6 million contract disappears in the 2026 offseason.

This means that once James' contract expires, the Lakers will consider letting him leave freely.

Stan wrote: "It is generally believed that the Lakers' first choice for the future is to let James' contract disappear after the 2025-26 season."

This is the first time James has encountered a contract expiration during his term as the Lakers. Before that, James had the right to choose to withdraw and sign a new contract. James was also a core figure in the team at that time.

However, things changed when the team won Luca Doncic in a big deal last February, and after James left, Doncic replaced Anthony Davis as the team's future superstar. The Lakers have already invested a lot of money in Doncic's future season, prioritizing James' limited window to win another championship.

According to LeBron James' agent Ritchie Paul, his client "understands" the Lakers' situation, but he is still more inclined to win another title "realistic" opportunity.

While the Lakers may want LeBron James to end his tenure with the team in 2026, they are now happy to have him. In an interaction with Keith Smith of Sportlark, a Lakers executive revealed how the team really feels about James, saying:

"Whenever you sign a contract with a player with options, you're willing to let them take control from the beginning. But the idea of players choosing to give players all the power is very stupid.

"If they choose to quit, then the team is their partner to renew their contracts." If they choose to join, the team is also a partner no matter what happens next. For LeBron, he had a player choice and he decided to opt in. We're glad he's still a member of the Lakers. ”

Led by Doncic, the Lakers are still struggling to win the playoffs and go as far as possible in the playoffs. This summer, James' return to the Lakers is the best choice for this 17-time championship team in a weak free market and trading market.

After being nominated for the second team of the NBA in the NBA last season, he can be said to be the top 10 players in the NBA and played an important role in becoming the No. 3 seed at the end of the season.

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