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Lakers' 2026 NBA Finals Odds Jump After LeBron James Makes Player Option Decision
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is officially back.
The four-time champion reportedly is opting into his player option for the 2025-26 season, giving him another campaign with the Lakers and a chance to play a full season with Luka Doncic in the fold.
Breaking: Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James is opting into his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2025
Paul adds: LeBron "knows the Lakers are building for the future ... but he values a realistic chance of winning it all." pic.twitter.com/q5mT1O2R35
Oddsmakers appear to be fans of the Lakers in the futures market now that James is officially back, as DraftKings Sportsbook moved Los Angeles from +1600 to +1400 to win the title in the 2025-26 season.
The Lakers earned the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference last season despite making a ton of changes during the campaign, pulling off a blockbuster deal for Doncic ahead of the trade deadline. Los Angeles now has a full offseason to build around James and Doncic, and the team should be in the market for a center to fix what was a major hole in the rotation late in the 2024-25 season.
As of Sunday, the Lakers have the fourth-best odds to win the Western Conferece, behind only the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets and defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Last season, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game while shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc. Even though he's 40 years old, James is still one of the best players in the NBA, earning an All-NBA nod last season.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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Peter is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated Betting. He has worked as a writer and editor for BetSided, NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, and more. A New York City resident, he is a hoops fanatic with a soft spot for his New York Knicks.