LeBron James Reveals Stance on Immediate Future With Lakers

Jan 12, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) walks towards the team bench during a break in the action against the Sacramento Kings in the third quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Things haven't gotten extremely tense within the Los Angeles Lakers organization this week after a bombshell article was published by ESPN detailing ugly infighting by members of the Buss family, as well as how Jeanie Buss has felt about superstar LeBron James being the face of the team since 2018.

After the Lakers fell to Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night at the Intuit Dome, James spoke to the media in the locker room and was asked by Dan Woike of The Athletic whether he wants to finish the season with the Lakers.

LeBron James' 2-Word Response on if He Wants to Stay With Lakers

Although it wasn't the most in-depth answer from the future Hall of Famer, James seems to want to remain with the Lakers moving forward, or at least until his contract expires after the 2025-26 NBA season.

Q from @DanWoikeSports: “Is this where you want to finish the season?”
A from LeBron James: “I’m good. I’m good. … I’m good.” pic.twitter.com/xsbOxnoKXV

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 23, 2026

The timing of all of his drama surrounding the Lakers and James is ironic, to say the least. The NBA trade deadline is now less than two weeks away, with teams around the league having until Feb. 5 to make deals to bolster their rosters for the second half of the season or move off assets with a focus more on the long-term future. 

As usual, around this time of year, the Lakers are mentioned in several trade rumors while being linked to players they may be trying to acquire and players on their team they might be looking to move. James could end up being one of those players, but he has all the power due to the no-trade clause in his contract, which means he has to approve any deal that sends him elsewhere.

Although it seems unlikely that the Lakers and James would part ways ahead of the trade deadline, it isn't beyond the realm of possibility that it happens, especially if all this recent drama ends up being the last straw for the superstar forward.

The Golden State Warriors could be a team to watch, as they have tried to acquire James multiple times in the past to pair him with fellow superstar Stephen Curry. There was also a rumor that surfaced this week about the Warriors being interested in pursuing James in NBA free agency this summer while also trying to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

It'll be interesting to see if James' time with the Lakers is coming to an end and whether it happens now ahead of the trade deadline or this summer in free agency.