Year 23 is coming.But is this the final ride with the Los Angeles Lakers?LeBron has officially picked up his $52.6 million player option to return to the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2025-26 season, according to Rich Paul.At 40 years old and entering a record-setting 23rd NBA… pic.twitter.com/8OUMNQgo2I— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 29, 2025
All this hyperbole is going to wear awful thin really quickly. Pretty sure LeBron says this kinda thing every time he signs an extension/picks up an option. Only thing that’s changed is the Lakers now have his replacement in hand. We’re building around Luka and this tidbit dropped by Rich Paul is just a signal that LBJ’s camp might be open to a trade. Because, if one allows one opinion to be informed by logic, the 40+ year old doesn’t have a helluva lotta leverage and very, very teams are likely to be able to take his deal on and still be competitive.
Luka Doncic was the replacement for Anthony Davis. The Lakers will have enough cap space to replace LeBron James next summer.
We ain’t come close to replacing AD and frankly that’s ignoring that Luka can actually carry a team basically on his own to the playoffs. AD and LeBron couldn’t even manage that together one season. Luka is LeBron’s replacement, we’re looking for his co-star, although it seems the FO thinks it’s Reaves.
I might go with LT on this one. Luka can replace some of Lebron’s numbers but it’s the intangible stuff that’ll be missing when he’s gone. It was gonna be the same with AD as well. They just don’t have the gravitas, the personality, the aura…whatever you wanna call it. Supremely talented? Absolutely. But it takes more than that to replace an all time great. Giannis might be the only guy available in the near future who could come close.
It’s almost as if people haven’t paid attention to how LeBron & Rich Paul have operated over the past 20 years….
Except for the the first time, the team is better off when he leaves.
I know, it’s like they think he’s some kind of altruistic dude all in on the franchise. He’s never been, and that’s fine, but this whole thing getting everyone riled up is hilarious.