The Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason is shaping up to be one of the most complicated in the franchise’s history, and the decision at its center is whether LeBron James returns. GM Rob Pelinka has said publicly that the organization will give James the time and space to make his choice.
Stan Van Gundy, who spent nearly two decades in the league, appeared on Dan Patrick’s show this week and made the case for bringing James back.
Stan Van Gundy Believes Lakers Should Re-Sign LeBron James For One Reason
“Luka Doncic is in his prime. He’s as good an offensive player as we’ve ever had in this league. Do you have a better option than LeBron James to help you win a championship right now? I don’t think they do. So I think I would sign LeBron James. You’re in a win now thing. You’re not in a rebuild. And I just don’t see how there’s a scenario out there that’s better,” Van Gundy said.
I don’t know if Giannis is the better guy around Luka Dončić than LeBron James, because of shooting. Luka Dončić, you’ve got to put shooting around him.”
– Stan Van Gundy on what the #Lakers should do about LeBron James pic.twitter.com/N5ephxuoqa
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) May 14, 2026
“Now, maybe there will be, maybe a trade will come up, but minus that, yeah, I’m signing LeBron James. And here’s the thing I really liked about what LeBron did. He obviously still playing at a high level, but before the injuries, he willingly took a step back, Dan, and was playing as a third option and doing so efficiently and well, but he can still step up when need be. I don’t know who their option would be out there,” Van Gundy added.
The numbers behind Van Gundy’s argument are hard to dismiss. James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in 2025-26 at 41 years old. Before Doncic and Austin Reaves went down with injuries, James accepted a supporting role, and the Lakers went 16-2 in that stretch.
Then, when it was his turn to carry the team, he led Los Angeles past the Houston Rockets in the first round without Luka Dončić for the entire series and without Reaves for the first four games. Van Gundy’s logic is straightforward: a Dončić in his prime and James still performing well will give the Lakers their best shot.
The financial picture is the only real complication. The Lakers are projected to have roughly $48 million in cap space this summer, with that number contingent on whether DeAndre Ayton and Marcus Smart exercise their player options.
Re-signing Reaves to the five-year, $241 million max deal he is expected to command is the front office’s top priority, and that eats significantly into available resources.
Van Gundy’s answer does make some sense. The Lakers aren’t supposed to be rebuilding just yet, especially after the season they just went through.
Yes, they were swept by an insane Oklahoma City Thunder team, but they were without their main superstar, who was putting up MVP-level numbers until his injury. If James were to sign with the Lakers again, he would have to take a pay cut, and it would be interesting to see if he does that to have one last shot at the chip with Los Angeles.
