The Los Angeles Lakers are mere months away from potentially having to make a decision that will define the Rob Pelinka era. LeBron James will be an unrestricted free agent this coming summer and speculation is running rampant about whether or not either side is interested in continuing their partnership.
If a recent report proves true, then the Lakers are open to bringing James back. Doing so, however, must be less of a priority than Luka Doncic and the team that must be built around him.
James, 41, appears to have three options on the table that no one knows how to decide the odds of. One would be to retire after 23 illustrious seasons. A second would be to sign with a different team over the summer, with 29 general managers likely to at least explore the possibility of landing him.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Pelinka appears open to being the 30th general manager to at least make their interest known in embarking on such a pursuit.
"If James wants to play a 24th season, he would be welcomed back in L.A., sources told ESPN."
Though it's understandable for Los Angeles to at least consider re-signing James, McMenamin's report also included a quote from an anonymous executive urging them not to do so.
"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 to retool around Luka. Keeping Reaves is critical. [Doncic] plays best with another ball handler/creator like with Kyrie [Irving] and [Jalen] Brunson."
It's difficult to argue that the Lakers would be better off without James, but it's even harder to dispute how essential building for the future will be in 2026—particularly with the most projected cap space of any contender.
Lakers must move on from LeBron if it means helping Luka Doncic
The harsh reality facing the Lakers in 2026 is that the roster around Doncic is insufficient. It's an admitted inevitability, as Los Angeles unexpectedly acquired the 2024 scoring champion at the 2025 NBA trade deadline in a deal that still doesn't feel entirely real.
Up to that point, the roster had been built around James and big man Anthony Davis—neither of whom are exactly carbon copies of Doncic.
2026 thus presents Pelinka with his first real opportunity to build a roster that specifically complements Doncic. Los Angeles was without a first-round pick in 2025, had limited cap space in free agency, and was reluctant to trade the few ideal players they had for potential marginal upgrades.
In 2026, the Lakers have their own first-round draft pick and project to have considerable cap space. They must turn those truths into roster upgrades.
Lakers finally have the offseason flexibility to build around Luka Doncic
The caveat to the flexibility that Los Angeles possesses is that cap holds and player options will play a part in their ability to maximize their efforts. No one on the roster will have a more significant cap hold than James at $59.5 million, per Spotrac.
James' cap hold won't necessarily prevent the Lakers from making meaningful upgrades to the roster, but renouncing it would greatly improve their ability to do so.
Los Angeles already needs to re-sign Reaves to a star-level contract and figure out whether or not it'd like to bring back Rui Hachimura. Moreover, it has desperate needs for reliable perimeter defenders, three-point shooters, and rim protectors.
No one signing will resolve all of those issues, but with considerable cap space, the Lakers could make multiple moves to improve the rotation.
Lakers have too many needs to prioritize LeBron James
The question then becomes if there's truly enough money to re-sign Reaves, bring in multiple impact players, and still have James back. Perhaps he'll take an extreme pay cut, but there will be too many teams willing to offer him top dollar to assume that scenario will play out.
As such, re-signing James is still an option, but if the Lakers hope to build a true contender around Doncic, he can't be a bigger priority than the future of the franchise.
Thus far in 2025-26, Los Angeles ranks No. 23 in defensive rating and boasts a negative net rating. It has the star talent to compete with anyone, but lacks the depth and defensive consistency to truly push themselves over the top and enter the realm of the truly consistent contenders.
Though James is a phenomenal talent, and the Lakers would be wise to explore his return, there's no way to justify making him a priority over the multiple voids within the rotation.