With LeBron James entering his 23rd season, there isn’t much time left for him to add to his ring collection. That has put a lot of pressure on the Los Angeles Lakers to build a roster around James that can win a championship.
The Lakers, of course, made one of the biggest in-season trades in sports history last year when they shipped off future Hall-of-Famer Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in a three-team trade that netted them one of the game’s truly elite players in guard Luka Dončić.
LeBron James, Lakers Had a Busy Offseason
The Lakers had a reasonably successful 2024-25 season, finishing with a record of 50-32, which earned them the third seed in the Western Conference. However, that did not equate to playoff success as the Lakers were dispatched by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, setting up a pivotal offseason.
Their first-round playoff exit revealed the Lakers’ need for a big man, and they addressed that situation by signing former No. 1 Overall pick DeAndre Ayton after he parted ways with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Lakers also re-signed big man Jaxson Hayes early in the offseason. Although they lost Dorian Finney-Smith to one of the other key Western Conference contenders, the Houston Rockets, they were able to sign sharpshooter Jake LaRavia to help replace him. They capped their offseason by signing former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart.
The Lakers also signed Dončić to a contract extension worth $165 million over three years.
LeBron James’ Lakers Future in Doubt?
Their acquisitions were overshadowed by James’ future, which has been full of rumors that James may choose to move on, and that the Lakers may actually be encouraging this move so that they can build around Dončić.
Although both sides have denied these reports, one insider said that James, who will miss the first few weeks due to sciatica, will closely monitor the Lakers’ play.
“LeBron’s gotta be watching, while he’s out,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said. “If they are struggling, that could lead to the next step… When Rich Paul said that LeBron will be watching the Lakers’ every move because the priority is to win. If they are not winning, maybe LeBron might have to go elsewhere.”
LeBron James is expected to monitor the Lakers’ situation while he’s out, per @mcten
“LeBron’s gotta be watching, while he’s out. If they are struggling, that could lead to the next step… When Rich Paul said that LeBron will be watching the Lakers’ every move because the… pic.twitter.com/vO5O8Xl6iL
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 11, 2025
McMenamin also fueled the fire: the Lakers may be content to see James leave and build around Dončić.
“This becomes about Luka Dončić,” McMenamin explained. “He was signed to an extension in the offseason. He’s 26 years old. The prime of his career, and the Lakers are seeing this as an opportunity for him to stamp himself as the face of the franchise in the interim.”
With James’ career winding down, this shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Still, with the Lakers coming off a relatively successful [regular] season and making a few moves this offseason, it’s not surprising James wants to see how the team plays over the first few weeks of the season.
Of course, without James on the court, we won’t have a good idea of just how good the Lakers can be.
The Lakers will kick off the regular season when they host Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, October 21. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock, marking the anticipated return of the NBA on NBC.
