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Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was doubtful on LeBron James’ future as he enters free agency, as they shift to new star Luka Doncic.
Despite a mostly successful past eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, superstar LeBron James’ tenure with the franchise appears to be coming to an end, at least according to team owner Jeanie Buss, and multiple reports over the past few months.
Most recently, in an interview with CNBC, Buss, who was previously in hot water for her reported relationship with James, per Baxter Holmes of ESPN, said she said the league’s all-time leading scorer has not given any indication of returning to the Lakers.
“Never say never, but you know, he certainly hasn’t given an indication,” she said. “He’s earned the right to decide how his career will go, and you know, he continues to impress.”
Jeanie Buss sounded ‘doubtful’ that LeBron would return to the Lakers next season 😬, per @sherman4949
“Never say never, but you know, he certainly hasn’t given an indication. He’s earned the right to decide how his career will go, and you know, he continues to impress.”
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Despite James remaining noncommittal about his Lakers future, general manager Rob Pelinka expressed in the past that the team wants him to end his career and retire in Los Angeles, but as time has gone on, that no longer appears to be in the cards.
Jeanie Buss on LeBron James’ Lakers Future
As mentioned, while there was previously no reporting on any disdain between Buss and the superstar, that changed when Holmes previously reported that the owner wasn’t happy with the lack of appreciation James gave to the team after they picked his son, Bronny James, in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Holmes also reported that Buss entertained the idea of the Lakers trading James to their cross-town rival, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jeanie Buss was reportedly so frustrated with LeBron James that she privately considered not re-signing—or even trading—him in 2022, including floating a deal to the Clippers, per @Baxter
She also had concerns about LeBron’s ego and Klutch Sports’ influence over the Lakers. 😳
In responding to questions about his relationship with Buss, James shot down any speculation on animosity, but also said, ‘I don’t really care about the reports, to be honest,’ adding, ‘I don’t care about an article. I don’t care how somebody feels about me,’ according to ESPN.
However, while any rumors on the relationship between James and Buss have died down a bit amid the changing of the guard in terms of team ownership, that didn’t stop the matriarch of the team from commenting on James’ Lakers future.
“Buss said she’d leave James’ future with the Lakers to James,” Alex Sherman, who held the interview with Buss, said about her comments. “Still, she sounded doubtful that he would return to the team next season, either because he would retire or because he would choose to play elsewhere.”
Buss went on to mention that the team’s future is centered around the 26-year-old Luka Doncic, rather than the 41-year-old James.
“The partnership will give us the stability to continue to move forward as we build towards a team around Luka Dončić,” she added. “We couldn’t be more proud that he is a Laker.”
Lakers Urged To ‘Move On’ From LeBron James
Despite numerous questions about his next plans, James has yet to comment about his future with the Lakers, moving to another team, or entering retirement.
However, rumors linking James back to the Cleveland Cavaliers have heated up over the past few weeks, and at the same time, the Lakers look to be moving on from the oldest player in the league as he enters free agency this summer.
Writing for ESPN, Dave McMenamin talked with an unnamed Eastern Conference executive, who suggested the Lakers to ‘move off’ James.
“The first thing they have to do is move off LeBron,” he told ESPN. “Let him walk and use the space to retool around Luka. Keeping Reaves is critical. [Doncic] plays best with another ball handler/creator like with Kyrie [Irving] and [Jalen] Brunson.”
🚨 One Eastern Conference executive believes the Lakers should move on from LeBron James this summer to focus on Luka Doncic, per @mcten
“The first thing they have to do is move off LeBron,” an Eastern Conference front office executive told ESPN. “Let him walk and use the space
The executive added that the team needs more wing defenders, and bringing back James on anything more than a minimum deal likely wouldn’t be a good idea.
However, in his article, McMenamin resurfaced comments from Pelinka over the summer saying Los Angeles would be happy if he retired with the team. At the time, more than six months ago, that seemed somewhat realistic, but right now, it doesn’t feel like a likely outcome.
At the same time James looks to be on his way out, the Lakers are preparing to make a push for Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer in a massive blockbuster trade with the cap space they’ll have freed up.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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