If you asked Lakers fans three months ago whether they thought LeBron James was coming back for a ninth season, I doubt over half would say yes. If you asked that same group whether they wanted LeBron to come back... You may have gotten similar answers. Retirement felt like a possibility, a return to Cleveland felt like a possibility, but re-signing with the Lakers, frankly, did not.
Oh, how quickly things can change. Now, as the calendar has turned to April and the Lakers keep rattling off wins with LeBron as the No. 3 option, it doesn't sound so crazy to keep LeBron around for one more year, his hypothetical 24th season in the NBA.
It also doesn't hurt, from James' perspective, that the Lakers are likely the only team that would / could offer him a max contract for next season.
LeBron staying with the Lakers feels more possible than ever before
In a recent piece about LeBron's future, ESPN insiders Dave McMenamin and Tim Bontemps discussed what's in store for James next season based on what they've heard around the league. While nothing is certain, a Lakers return does sound as feasible as any other outcome — with one big caveat:
"That doesn't account for the possibility of returning to the Lakers, who will have James' Bird rights and the ability to pay him up to the max for next season. They are hoping to remake the roster around Luka Doncic, however, and must factor in Austin Reaves' upcoming unrestricted free agency."
A LeBron return to LA hinges on a few things. The first is whether the Lakers want him back, and it sounds like Rob Pelinka would be happy to host LeBron's farewell tour. The second is whether Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves would want him back — and that, too, didn't feel like the case a few months ago if you read the tea leaves, but the vibes have been so good over the past month that both of the Lakers' future cornerstones may have changed their tunes.
The final piece is whether James himself wants to run it back once more in Hollywood; contract aside, if LeBron tells the team and front office he wants one last dance (someone should trademark that), it sounds like the Lakers are willing to make whatever moves necessary to get it done.
Nothing seems set in stone; but a few months ago, things did seem set in stone the other direction. This has been a pretty stunning turnaround for the Lakers on the court, and they've found their groove in such an intense way that everyone is slowly getting on board with the idea of doing it again in 2026-27.