{"id":97073,"date":"2025-09-05T08:56:34","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T08:56:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=97073"},"modified":"2025-09-05T08:56:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T08:56:34","slug":"one-move-could-rewrite-the-future-of-the-franchise-lebron-james-leaving-lakers-this-season-is-no-longer-just-a-rumor-every-day-makes-it-more-real","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=97073","title":{"rendered":"One move could rewrite the future of the franchise! LeBron James leaving Lakers this season is no longer just a rumor\u2014every day makes it more real."},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"relative z-10\">\n<h3 class=\"my-2.5 text-black font-group-gigantic !leading-[30px] md:!leading-[44px]\">LeBron James leaving the Lakers this season becomes more likely by the day<\/h3>\n<div class=\"article-intro mb-4 text-darkGrey font-group-large md:font-group-normal lg:font-group-large !mb-2.5 md:mb-5\">Don&#8217;t be surprised if LBJ leaves Los Angeles before this time next year.<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"mb-0 md:mb-9 relative md:mx-10 md:mb-9\">\n<figure>\n<div class=\"overflow-hidden bg-lightGrey\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_167,w_2000,h_1125\/c_fill,w_360,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F20%2F01k45jxwgkxs9az36m3v.jpg 1x,  \nhttps:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_167,w_2000,h_1125\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F20%2F01k45jxwgkxs9az36m3v.jpg 2x, \n    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_167,w_2000,h_1125\/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F20%2F01k45jxwgkxs9az36m3v.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 719px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_167,w_2000,h_1125\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F20%2F01k45jxwgkxs9az36m3v.jpg 1x, \nhttps:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_167,w_2000,h_1125\/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F20%2F01k45jxwgkxs9az36m3v.jpg 2x, \n    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_167,w_2000,h_1125\/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F20%2F01k45jxwgkxs9az36m3v.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 1079px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_167,w_2000,h_1125\/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F20%2F01k45jxwgkxs9az36m3v.jpg 1x, \nhttps:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_167,w_2000,h_1125\/c_fill,w_2160,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F20%2F01k45jxwgkxs9az36m3v.jpg 2x,\n    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_167,w_2000,h_1125\/c_fill,w_2160,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F20%2F01k45jxwgkxs9az36m3v.jpg 3x\" media=\"(min-width: 1080px)\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full\" title=\"LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_167,w_2000,h_1125\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/20\/01k45jxwgkxs9az36m3v.jpg\" alt=\"LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex items-center gap-4 ml-1 pb-2 mt-4 md:m-3 text-darkGrey font-group-tiny\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center gap-4 ml-1 pb-2 mt-4 md:m-3 text-darkGrey font-group-tiny\"><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers | Allen Berezovsky\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"flex flex-wrap justify-center lg:justify-normal\">\n<div class=\"flex lg:mr-4 lg:w-[calc(70%-3em)] max-w-full\"><main class=\"min-w-0 flex-1 odesa-article-main\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"viewablity-block\">\n<div class=\"article-content [&amp;_p]:leading-[30px] [&amp;_p]:md:leading-[28px] [&amp;_li]:leading-[30px] [&amp;_li]:md:leading-[28px]\">\n<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">NBA reporter Jovan Buha recently stated that he believes LeBron James&#8217; chances of\u00a0remaining with the Los Angeles Lakers\u00a0through the end of the upcoming season are around 85%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">As he notes in a recent YouTube video, this number is down from the 95% figure that he had stated in the past.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Buha is a noted trustworthy source on the Lakers, so this educated guess from him carries at least a little bit of weight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">And honestly, is anyone surprised to hear that percentage continue to decrease? It&#8217;s really not all that shocking considering the circumstances.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">There&#8217;s already not been much clarity when it comes to LeBron&#8217;s situation and where he&#8217;s going to end up finishing his career.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Every time the subject has been brought up, it seems like it&#8217;s been met with vague reactions or tongue-in-cheek replies. There&#8217;s no clear indication of what&#8217;s going to happen from James&#8217; side of things.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">And who can blame him for attempting to conceal his plans? It&#8217;s pretty understandable for one of the most scrutinized American athletes to want to maintain some level of secrecy about what will of course become another career-defining move.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Whether he wants to retire in Los Angeles, return to Cleveland where it all began, or do something else is up to LeBron himself.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"scroll-mt-24 my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">LeBron may not finish the 2025-26 season in Los Angeles<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">From an outside perspective, it would certainly seem like there would be positives if James did opt to leave Southern California.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">He&#8217;s clearly the second-best player on the roster with Luka Doncic now running the show.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">The focus is no longer primarily on number 23, and he&#8217;s not always the first topic of discussion when the Lakers are talked about anymore.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">There&#8217;s a lot of obvious draw if you want to talk about him going back to the Cavaliers, too. National media outlets are already foaming at the mouth just thinking of LeBron running home to northeast Ohio for a planned retirement tour.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">If he does just that and announces before the season that it&#8217;ll be his last (like Kobe Bryant did), he&#8217;ll get every media member from every corner of the United States rushing out to cover every public appearance he makes for the season.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Of course, that will also happen regardless of where he retires, but it&#8217;s hard to say doing it in Cleveland wouldn&#8217;t have an added element of storybook flash to it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">But no matter what James ends up doing, it feels like we&#8217;re getting closer and closer to something happening. When it stays this quiet for this long, you&#8217;ve got to think something is up.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">I wouldn&#8217;t be surprised at all to see LeBron traded in the upcoming season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Best believe if he truly wants to finish out his career somewhere besides the Lakers, he&#8217;s going to talk to who he needs to talk to, and he&#8217;s going to make it happen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LeBron James leaving the Lakers this season becomes more likely by the day Don&#8217;t be surprised if LBJ leaves Los Angeles before this time next year. LeBron&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":97078,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>One move could rewrite the future of the franchise! 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