FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Marcus Smart: B+
LeBron James: D
Deandre Ayton: F
Austin Reaves: D
Luka Doncic: A
Luke Kennard: B
Jaxson Hayes: B+
Jake LaRavia: B+
JJ Redick: C

Lebron can’t be the primary for long stretches of time anymore. You can already watch the fatigue set in as the games go on. His turnovers get worse, layups get blown, jumpers die on the front of the rim, missed free throws. Also, Luka isn’t an off the ball type of player; he needs to be in control. We saw this fail recently when we tried to force Russ into that same role.

JayJay gets paid to figure this stuff out..

The LeBron stuff with the Lakers is nuanced.He’s been fantastic on the floor by himself and has led some of LA’s most successful units.But his propensity to make mistakes on defense and the inability to hit C&S threes has certainly had a negative impact alongside Austin/Luka. https://t.co/hKOtc5ijrD— Jason Timpf (@_JasonLT) February 27, 2026

Final: Suns 113, Lakers 110LA drops their third straight game to fall to 34-24. They’ll now potentially be two games back of No. 5 if MIN wins tonight. The Lakers are trending in the wrong direction at the wrong time. Luka had 41/8/8. LeBron had 15/6/5.Up next: at GSW on Sat.— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 27, 2026

And plenty others, not only Ayton, were bad defending the 3 later on. Vando, Hayes, LaRavia, Luka really struggled in the 4th. Just cant set the tone like that, give this Suns team that couldnt score in last 4 games momentum and hope.— Iztok Franko (@iztok_franko) February 27, 2026

Lakers just a disjointed team. No cohesion defensively, a lot of finger pointing. Here are 3 open Suns threes in first 15 minutes…for Ayton to come out like this after that ESPN article, maybe play Kleber or Timme. pic.twitter.com/oP2Gwrg4lY— Iztok Franko (@iztok_franko) February 27, 2026

The Lakers run a great sidelines out of bounds set to get Austin Reaves a look to tie it at the buzzer, but he can’t get it to go.The undermanned Suns win, 113-110. pic.twitter.com/7yvSphV8Kh— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 27, 2026

Suns bludgeon Lakers from three, hand LA third straight loss https://t.co/1sFzJ6dm2V— LakerTom (@LakerTom) February 27, 2026

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

1. Retirement?

The buzz has James going one more year, to get his flowers on the way out. Still, not everyone needs a farewell tour, and he may choose to retire after the 2025-26 campaign.

2. Don’t Completely Write off the Lakers

Still, Plan A may not bear fruit. If the Lakers strike out on their top goals, they could delay until 2027. If so, perhaps James returns for one final goodbye, farewell tour, etc. It may not be L.A.’s primary goal, but it’ll sell tickets while giving James a proper sendoff.

3. Back Home to Cleveland (or Another Contender)

Other teams in similar situations that are thought to appeal to James are the Golden State Warriors and the New York Knicks. The Cavaliers and Knicks are among the Eastern Conference contenders. The Golden State Warriors have struggled to stay healthy, but the Steph Curry/James combination would be something to see.

4. Sign-and-Trade Difficult/Unlikely

Realistically, it’s a long shot as the Lakers (assuming they’re moving on from James) have goals in mind to bolster a Luka Dončić-led roster. James could be the primary outgoing salary for a star like Giannis Antetokounmpo, but James is unlikely to choose the Bucks as his next destination (especially with Antetokounmpo departing). A third team could be the answer, the one James desires, but it’s complicated enough that it’s among the least likely options.

5. Las Vegas Bound

Beyond James’ next team as a player, there’s a rumor going around the league that he will be the face of the NBA’s expansion team in Las Vegas.

One line of thinking is that he might retire, and his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, might sell the rest of his agency to UTA (United Talent Agency). With financial backing, they then might look to step into ownership roles.

It’s important to note the NBA has not decided on expansion, let alone which cities. If Vegas is among the most likely destinations (along with Seattle), the league will let multiple candidates pitch locations.

Rumors are fun, sometimes true, but it’s too early to put weight into this one. Still, it’s been bouncing around for several years and is worth keeping an eye on.

Retirement may or may not come at the end of the season. He could return home to finish in Cleveland, join Steph Curry in Golden State, or help give New York a run at its first title since 1973.

Even if James decides to continue, he has acknowledged that he doesn’t have much time left as a player. Perhaps that leads to an NBA governorship, whether in Las Vegas or elsewhere—it wouldn’t be wise to bet against him finding success in his next venture beyond playing basketball.

One thing JayJay has been consistent at is making sure we beat bad teams (which PHX is w/these injuries). Only reason why our record is as good as it is. Teams on our level or above?…not so much.

A lot of folks said this when the trade was made over a year ago…Luka & LeBron are too similar. Our coaching staff had an entire off-season to figure out how to make it work but apparently they did nothing. Just roll the ball out there and hope it works itself out.

“They keep trying to turn me into Clint Capela. That’s not me. I’m Deandre Ayton.”pic.twitter.com/EWsNKStEmX— Ryan Rueda (@PlayoffDude) February 26, 2026

Members of the Lakers training staff wrap Deandre Ayton's water bottle in athletic tape and write "DA's Crunk Juice — Drink this to unleash the beast" in black marker on it before games to keep him motivated, per @mcten pic.twitter.com/Q0Ju6GHVAy— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) February 26, 2026

Early success with the Suns may have ruined this guy. Relying on him for consistent effort is a fool’s errand.