LeBron James is in the final year of his two-year, $104 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Over the summer, he wasn’t offered a contract extension. James’ future with the franchise is uncertain, as he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 NBA season.
The four-time champion’s decision to stay with the squad once his contract expires is unknown. Aside from his contract situation, many believe that James is nearing the end of his 23-year career. Although he has not made a decision, many believe it could happen soon.
Amid the uncertain future, Jake Fischer unleashed a surprising report about James’ time with the Lakers.
“Definitively, the Lakers are ready to move on from LeBron James and I think LeBron James is ready to move on from the Lakers as well. That’s kind of the foregone sentiment in Los Angeles right now about what’s to come this summer,” said Fischer.
Based on the report, James could just move on from the organization, but remain active in the NBA. This could mean that the 22-time All-Star might sign with a different franchise before he ends his career.
LeBron James hinted at his retirement after a loss to the Knicks
The Lakers suffered a 112-100 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Although James has not decided on his retirement, fans treat most of his games against away teams as his last appearance. The same thing happened against New York, and also the game before that against Cleveland.
After the loss, James stressed how everything had to come to an end.
“At the end of the day, everything has to come to an end at some point. So, no matter what it is, it’s going to be like, ‘S**t, I’ll never play again in Madison Square Garden. I’ll never play again in certain arenas. I’ll never play again, period,'” James said.
“At the end of the day, everything has to come to an end at some point. So, no matter what it is, it's going to be like, ‘S—, I'll never play again in Madison Square Garden. I'll never play again in certain arenas. I’ll never play again, period’” – LeBron on his uncertain future pic.twitter.com/nvtrENdPE4
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 2, 2026
But he still left fans guessing on what his next move will be after this season.
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