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NBA Free Agency Tracker 2026: LeBron James Leaving Lakers to Continue Historic NBA Career
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The Knicks captured the NBA championship just over two weeks ago. The 2026 NBA draft came and went last week, with the Wizards, Jazz and Grizzlies nabbing potential superstars that they hope will reshape their franchises. And on 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, NBA teams will officially be allowed to negotiate with free agents.
Of course, some of the defining moves of the offseason have already happened. Draymond Green reportedly decided against opting into his Warriors deal Monday, freeing up the franchise to potentially add major pieces as they gun for another title with Green and Steph Curry ... maybe even LeBron James. Hours later, the Grizzlies traded Ja Morant, at long last, to the Trail Blazers—a fascinating fit for the embattled star guard.
The biggest news of the day so far came around noon EST, when LeBron James made his decision about his NBA future. Per his agent, Rich Paul, James will be playing again next season, which will be his 24th in the Association. But he won’t do it with the Lakers. He informed Los Angeles the franchise can move on without him after eight seasons together and he will be suiting up in a different uniform next season. According to Shams Charania, the Lakers expressed a desire to bring back The King but James opted to move on.
When free agency begins, we’ll see a flood of significant moves across the league. Sports Illustrated’s NBA staff will be here all day long tracking every major reported signing and trade and taking a look at the rumors that have some real smoke. Follow along below.
NBA free agency live tracker
Key dates for the 2026 NBA offseason
- June 30, 6 p.m. ET: NBA teams allowed to negotiate with free agents.
- July 6, 12:01 p.m. ET: NBA teams permitted to begin signing free agents.
- July 3–19: NBA Summer League (July 3, 5–6 in San Francisco; July 4–6 in Sacramento; July 4, 6–7 in Salt Lake City; July 9–19 in Las Vegas)
- October 9: First confirmed preseason game (Rockets vs. Mavericks in Macau)
- Late October: Regular season begins
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Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.
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Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.
Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.