LeBron James's return to the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2025–26 season is no surprise. The way he has gone about it, however, and the franchise's muted reaction to the news is incredibly unusual however, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
Rather than sign a new deal with the Lakers, James has opted into his player options for 2025–26, which will pay him $52.6 million and will have him hit unrestricted free agency next summer. The signing strikes Windohorst for two reasons: 1.) Los Angeles did not put out an immediate statement about the star forward opting in and 2.) It is the first time in James's two-decade career that he has exercised a player option.
"They haven't put out a statement. It's not a rule that you put out a statement when a player picks up an option but it is customary, and the Lakers did not do that," Windhorst said on Monday's Get Up. "I had to actually check with the team and the league. I said, 'Did LeBron actually opt in?' And they said, 'Yes, the paper work went through. He opted into his contract.
"Last year when LeBron signed a contract extension, Rob Pelinka had about a 115-word quote talking about how wonderful LeBron James is and what he means to the Lakers and what he means to their franchise. Yesterday there was no statement."
“This is the first time in 23 years, he’s ever been on a contract that’s in its last year.”
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 30, 2025
@WindhorstESPN says there is "something unusual" about LeBron exercising his player option with the Lakers next season 🤔 pic.twitter.com/PmAsnnv0eW
Windhorst added that James's agent Rich Paul said that the team and fellow Lakers star Luka Doncic were both informed that this would be the move. However, the rest of the league was not as keyed in.
"I talked to Rich Paul, Luka Doncic was informed that this was going to be LeBron's decision," Windhorst said. "... This didn't catch them by surprise, but you know who he did catch by surprise? The rest of the league. As I considered what teams LeBron would ever want to play for, I thought, 'Well maybe there's something afoot here.' So I went team by team, and the teams didn't know this was coming.
"There's something that's unusual here, and it's unusual for LeBron to be in this spot. He's signed nine contracts in his illustrious career. Eight of them have had player options in them. Not once in the eight times has he ever taken that player option. He's always opted to sign in to a new contract. This is the first time in 22 years that he's ever been on a contract in his last year."
Naturally, the situation has caused trade rumors to spike. While Windhorst may have channeled some of the conspiratorial energy that has caused him to go viral in the past, he doesn't see a James trade as a viable option, even with the expiring contract, because of his hefty salary and no-trade cause.
“I do not think LeBron James is going to be traded. Neither today or tomorrow or in a month or in three months,” Windhorst said on Monday’s episode of Get Up. “Because No. 1, he makes $53 million and doing a trade like that to a competitive that has a high payroll is going to be very difficult. And secondly, he has a no-trade clause, which would mean he would control all sides of the trade. Not only where he would want to go, but what he would want to get traded for.
After news of his opt-in surfaced, Paul said that James remains keyed in on winning a second title in L.A.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Rich Paul told ESPN’s Shams Charania. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN's Brian Windhorst Says Lakers, LeBron James Contract Situation Feels 'Unusual'.
