LeBron James leaving Lakers in NBA free agency as Golden State Warriors rumors swirl

LeBron James’ time in Tinseltown has come to an end. 

In a stunning move that has shocked the NBA world, James has informed the Lakers that he will finish out his NBA career elsewhere and that the Lakers are free to move on without him this offseason, according to his agent Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul.

James’ decision as an unrestricted free agent ends his longest consecutive tenure with a franchise, with his eight straight seasons with the Lakers outlasting the first seven seasons of his NBA career he spent with the Cavaliers.

Rumors are swirling that James could join the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco. The belief that James could become the King in the North came as Draymond Green declined his $27.7 million player option with the Warriors to become a free agent.

If Green re-signs with the Warriors for less money, they’d have the financial flexibility to offer James the $15.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception.

The 41-year-old James averaged 25.9 points, 7.9 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals since joining the Lakers as a free agent in 2018.

James had a Hall-of-Fame worthy run with the Lakers: Eight-time All-Star; seven-time All-NBA honoree, NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP in 2020 and NBA Cup champion in 2023.

He also surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time regular season scoring record (38,387) on Feb. 7, 2023, now sitting at 43,440 regular-season points scored after an unprecedented 23rd NBA season.

James ended his second tenure with the Cavaliers and signed a four-year, $154 million deal with the Lakers during the 2018 offseason. 

The first season didn’t go as hoped, with James suffering a groin injury on Dec. 25, 20218 that sidelined him for 17 straight games, marking the first major injury of his career, with the Lakers missing the 2018-19 season.

After an offseason retooling, which included trading for star big man Anthony Davis and replacing Luke Walton with Frank Vogel as the head coach, James and the Lakers bounced back in 2019-20, winning the 2020 NBA title.

The relationship between James and the Lakers has had its rifts throughout the decade. But at each pivotal turn, the two sides came back to each other.

But not this time. 

The Lakers wanted to bring James back, but it wasn’t their No. 1 priority as they looked to build the ideal roster around superstar Luka Doncic, who supplanted James as the face of the franchise after he was traded to Los Angeles in February 2025.

And James, after helping restore the Lakers to relevancy, will close out his career elsewhere.

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