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Rich Paul makes it crystal clear how done LeBron James was with Lakers
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- Rich Paul makes it crystal clear how done LeBron James was with Lakers
Rich Paul makes it crystal clear how done LeBron James was with Lakers appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
During his eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers , LeBron James won a championship, established himself as the all-time scoring king, achieved several other milestones, shared the court with his son and defied Father Time like no NBA player before him. When initially reflecting on all those accomplishments and memories, it was fair to wonder if the all-time great would want to retire anywhere else. Apparently, he was not too conflicted about remaining in LA.
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Although James has yet to make his free agency decision , he informed the Lakers at the end of June that he will be playing elsewhere next season. The idea of the four-time NBA Finals MVP and four-time regular season MVP ending his iconic career with another franchise was once hard to imagine, but doubt grew over the last year or so. James' longtime agent Rich Paul revealed that his client's feelings about potentially re-signing with Los Angeles were evident right away.
"I think the clearest thing was that he wasn't staying in LA," Paul told the "Nightcap" podcast when asked what James was looking for heading into free agency. "All those decisions are tough. Obviously, you play somewhere for a long time and you still want to play the game, but you understand your positioning and how you want to go about things, and so when he made that clear, that was the only clear thing that I had possession of."
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LeBron James and the Lakers enjoyed what was an overall prosperous relationship, but their visions for the immediate future no longer seemed to align. Los Angeles traded Anthony Davis and immediately began transitioning to the Luka Doncic era . Team president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka solidified Austin Reaves as the long-term No. 2 option after locking up the undrafted guard on a four-year, $185 million contract extension. James' role was less defined.
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Despite leading the squad past the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs, a breakup was becoming increasingly more likely. When the split became official, the Lakers immediately got to work on filling out their roster. They secured rim-protecting center Walker Kessler in a huge sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz and proceeded to sign Quentin Grimes , Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili . James is also in the process of pivoting.
The 41-year-old forward is still mulling his options, but many consider the Golden State Warriors , Cleveland Cavaliers , Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat to be his likeliest destinations. Although he will write his final chapter outside the City of Angels, the Book of LeBron can only be told by giving fair mention to the time he spent wearing Purple and Gold.
Related: Austin Reaves' contract gets $5 million adjustment to help Lakers
Related: Walker Kessler teases JJ Redick's desire for him to launch 3-pointers
