Lakers, LeBron James 'Ready' to Part Ways

Feb 1, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

In 2018, two years after Kobe Bryant retired, the Los Angeles Lakers sent shockwaves throughout the league when they signed superstar forward LeBron James in NBA free agency. The move instantly put the spotlight back on the Lakers franchise, as it perceived as a signing that would turn things around after tough stretch of disappointing seasons.

Ultimately, the signing of James resulted in the team making aggressive moves, namely acquiring fellow superstar Anthony Davis in a blockbuster trade with the New Orleans Pelicans. Pairing Davis with James immediately put the league on notice and understandably so as the team went on to win an NBA title during the 2019-20 NBA season.

Six years later, things have changed as the Lakers have started to go in a different direction, trading Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic and showing signs that the franchise is ready to move on from James to build around their new face of the team.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Lakers and James are ready to part ways.

“Definitively, the Lakers are ready to move on from LeBron James and I think LeBron James is ready to move on from the Lakers as well," FischerThat’s kind of the foregone sentiment in Los Angeles right now about what’s to come this summer.”

The real question moving forward is whether that parting of the ways between the Lakers and James will happen in the next few days, leading up to the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 5 or once the 2025-26 campaign comes to an end and his contract officially expires, making him a free agent for the first time since 2018.

It does appear that the Lakers are going to make any major moves ahead of the trade deadline, as the speculation builds about the team wanting to save its assets for the summer, where they'd have a better chance of going after Milwaukee Bucks superstar big man Giannis Antetokounmpo.

All signs seem to be pointing toward James either retiring after this season or hitting free agency to see where he'd want to finish his NBA career. The Cleveland Cavaliers are rumored to be interested in him playing with the franchise in what would potentially be his final season, and there's been speculation about the Golden State Warriors having interest in signing the four-time NBA champion as a free agent this summer.

Either way, James appears to be playing his final games in a Lakers uniform.