LeBron James will play basketball for the Los Angeles Lakers next season after exercising his $52.6 player option—unless something drastically changes as the franchise reportedly shifts its focus away from the all-time great and onto Luka Doncic. Building around a 26-year-old instead of someone north of 40 isn't the strangest strategy in the world but then again traditional rules and aging don't seem to apply much to James.
Nick Wright, one of the most vocal LeBron supporters in the media, is a bit confused by Los Angeles' urgency to put an expiration date on their relationship with the potential G.O.A.T. and explained why on Monday's First Things First.
"i don't know why the Lakers seem to be in a rush to get out of the LeBron James business," he said. "I don't expect the Lakers to find a player better than LeBron James to replace LeBron James this year or next year."
“I don’t know why the Lakers seem to be in a rush to get out of the LeBron James business… I don’t expect the Lakers to find a player better than LeBron James to replace LeBron James this year or next year.”
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) July 14, 2025
— @getnickwright pic.twitter.com/fYtyoqPHJ9
The Lakers understandably want to maximize their flexibility in the next few years and James makes a lot of money. If he decided to go elsewhere or retire after this season they would have plenty of cash on hand to make a big move. But if that move comes in two years then it could be argued that they wouldn't be doing their best to maximize a significant part of Doncic's prime.
Wright claims that the best available free agent next summer will be James, whom he puts ahead of other potential options like Kevin Durant, Trae Young and De'Aaron Fox. Two summers from now Giannis Antetokounmpo, Donovan Mitchell and Nikola Jokic could be in play, yet all three could potentially stick with their current teams or be wooed elsewhere.
Perhaps a grand plan will manifest and prove successful. For now, though, Wright and others remain perplexed.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nick Wright Baffled By Lakers' Rush to Get Out of the LeBron James Business.
