LeBron James will be a free agent later this summer. He is 41 years old. He just watched the Los Angeles Lakers get swept out of the second round by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Now the biggest question in the NBA has nothing to do with the playoffs. It is about what the greatest player of this generation decides to do next.
Brian Windhorst Reveals LeBron James’ Decision Deadline
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst dropped a key timeline on Friday. “This is how I handicap this on May 22nd,” Windhorst said. “I think by the draft, which is one month from today, we will know whether LeBron will be a Laker or not. If he’s not going to be a Laker, then he can wait until August or September.”
Brian Windhorst on LeBrons future:
“I think by the draft which is 1 month from today, we will know whether LeBron will be a Laker or not.” https://t.co/0kvl5YB02j pic.twitter.com/f0OuXP7SYE
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) May 22, 2026
The NBA Draft takes place on June 22 and 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. That is exactly one month from today. Windhorst says that if James returns to Los Angeles, the Lakers will have their answer before the league’s attention shifts to the rookies.
Windhorst also made clear that time is money.
“If he wants to sign with the Lakers for any significant amount of money, he’s probably going to have to make his mind by mid to late June,” Windhorst said. “If the Lakers don’t get a clear answer from LeBron by July 1, they may have to renounce his rights.”
That is the main deadline. The Lakers cannot hold cap space longer than that, especially considering the roster building they have to do this summer.
Jeanie Buss has been transparent about what she wants. “I’ve always said I want to see him retire as a Laker,” Buss said recently. But she also acknowledged that it all comes down to him. “He’s a free agent. It’s really his decision to make.”
The complication is that the Lakers are not waiting on just one decision. Austin Reaves is expected to opt out of his contract and hit free agency. Rui Hachimura’s future also remains in question as of May.
With all that said, it will all come down to James’ decision about what he wants to do next. If he wants to stay in Los Angeles, he would have to take a pay cut on the $52 million he made this year. That is the only way the Lakers will receive financial freedom to improve the rest of their roster.
