There are 28 regular-season games left on the Los Angeles Lakers' schedule. They sit No. 5 in the West, but the biggest question isn't how far they'll make it in the playoffs, but instead, will LeBron James still be in LA next season? Jeanie Buss doesn't know the answer to that, as she told CNBC Sport that she's still unsure if he will even play next season.
She said that "he hasn't given an indication" about his future. Buss said that she'd leave that up to him, but while the Lakers would reportedly welcome LeBron back next season, as ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported on Tuesday, they didn't sign him to an extension last summer. The 41-year-old is on an expiring contract for the first time in his career and will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
Don't forget that Buss is the one whom ESPN's Baxter Holmes reported has "started to turn" against LeBron. That isn't all that reassuring to those who hope the superstar will hang around.
The closer we get to the end of the season, the more it feels like LeBron won't be in purple and gold next season, assuming he plays at least one more year. Retirement is still very much a possibility for him, but it doesn't seem like he'd go out without a retirement tour, similar to Kobe Bryant.
Jeanie Buss doesn't know what LeBron James will do next
McMenamin previously reported that Cleveland "would gladly welcome" LeBron back home this summer if he decided he still wants to play. It would make sense for him to end it in the state where it all began, with the team that he started his legendary career with, and led to a title in 2016.
To go to the Cavaliers, he'd need to take a pay cut, as they are currently the only team in the league above the second tax apron. If they're still in that territory entering the 2026-27 season, LeBron would have to sign a veteran's minimum deal, a stark difference from the $52.6 million he's making this year. Perhaps he'd be willing to do so, though, as it'd put him in a position to win another title.
There is always the chance that he will stay in LA, but that would also mean he'd need to take a pay cut. As Bobby Marks said, the Lakers are projected to have $51 million in cap space, but that's not factoring in Austin Reaves' next deal. Their focus for the future is on Luka, not LeBron, or they would've signed LeBron to a deal before the season started.
What exactly does that mean for LeBron's future? We'll find out for certain this offseason.