If ESPN's offseason survey is truly a sign of things to come, then LeBron James is about to play his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers. It's a possibility that the Lakers have been preparing for, but the growing belief that James' tenure with the purple and gold is nearing its conclusion adds a new layer of suspense.
It's unclear where James might end up, but it's becoming difficult to avoid the possibility that he'll be moving on after a tumultuous offseason.
ESPN's NBA offseason survey consisted of questions asked to NBA coaches, executives, and scouts. One of the questions asked was where they expect James to be playing at the start of the 2026-27 season, with the Lakers actually coming in first place with 35 percent of the votes.
Unfortunately, that means 65 percent of the voters are of the belief that James will be playing elsewhere, if at all, in 2026-27.
25 percent of the voters expressed their belief that James would retire following the 2025-26 season. Another 20 percent voted for the Cleveland Cavaliers as the four-time MVP's next destination, while 10 percent chose the Golden State Warriors and a dualing five percent chose either the Dallas Mavericks or Miami Heat.
The story hasn't been written quite yet, but with those around the NBA favoring James leaving the Lakers next summer, there's clearly work to be done to extend this relationship.
65 percent of voters in ESPN survey believe LeBron will leave Lakers
The most likely outcome is that James, 40, will retire once the 2025-26 campaign concludes. He'll turn 41 in December and is preparing to set yet another record by becoming the first player in NBA history to play 23 seasons.
With this in mind, it's difficult to lose too much sleep over the possibility that James could retire after spending 23 years enduring the wear-and-tear of an NBA season.
What may be most interesting, however, is that 40 percent of voters believe James will continue playing in 2026-27, only for a different team. The Cavaliers make sense for sentimental reasons, as James has already spent two stints with his home-state team, winning a title in 2016.
If retirement truly is near, it would be a storybook ending for James to play out the final chapter of his career with the team that drafted him in 2003.
The Heat, Mavericks, and Warriors are interesting for entirely different reasons. James previously played in Miami, winning championships in 2012 and 2013, but his primary ties to the franchise appear to be long gone with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade both retired.
As such, it appears as though the Heat, Mavericks, and Warriors are mentioned due to their respective abilities to incorporate James into a team that appears ready to win.
In Miami, James would team up with All-Stars Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, as well as head coach Erik Spoelstra—whom he's already won two titles with. In Dallas, he'd reunite with former teammates Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving—whom he's won a combined two titles with, as well. With the Warriors, he'd form the duo that dreams are made of with Stephen Curry.
One can only hope that Luka Doncic proves to James that his best opportunity to win a fifth championship would be to stay in Los Angeles instead.