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LeBron James, star of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers’ world seemed to have found a moment of calm after announcing three new players in just one hour, but suddenly the entire NBA was shaken by a decision LeBron James might be considering.

The Los Angeles Lakers shocked everyone by making a trade to sign Luka Doncic for the 2024–25 season. Not even LeBron was consulted about the move, which involved the departure of Anthony Davis as the team’s main loss.

Even though Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ general manager, stated: “We remain fully confident in Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Luka Doncic (…) and together we’ll do a better job of making sure they’re surrounded with the right pieces to achieve ultimate success,” the first moves in free agency told a different story.

ESPN journalist Ramona Shelburne reported that the new approach in Los Angeles is to avoid consulting LeBron on free agency moves—just like they did with the signing of forward Jake LaRavia. Could this be the reason James is now considering a drastic decision?

The decision LeBron may take with the Lakers has come to light: “He wants to leave.”

Lakers logo and LeBron. (Photo: personal archive and Getty Images)

“He’s doing what he’s always done—putting pressure on the front office. He’s done it everywhere he’s been. Or I suppose there’s another possibility: he really wants to leave. I haven’t spoken to anyone who’s ruled it out. Someone said he not only wants to leave, but he’s wanted to for a while now—even before this (offseason) began. I don’t want to say exactly how long ago,” reported journalist Zach Lowe about the decision LeBron James may be considering.

LeBron James’ agent issues a warning to the Los Angeles Lakers

Rich Paul, LeBron’s agent, gave a clear warning to the Los Angeles Lakers to help ensure The King doesn’t leave the team.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he also values a real opportunity to win it all. We deeply appreciate the collaboration we’ve had over eight years with Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka, and we consider the Lakers a fundamental part of his career. We understand how difficult it is to win now while preparing for the future. We want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage of his life and career. He wants to make the most of every season he has left, and the Lakers understand that, they support him, and they want what’s best for him,” said Paul.