LeBron James entered the 2025 offseason with speculation swirling about whether he would leave the Los Angeles Lakers. He had the option to test free agency but instead exercised his $52.6 million player option.
James returned to the team, and the season is well underway. While it appeared everything was settled, a new report has reignited questions about his future.
NBA Insider Raises Questions About LeBron James, Lakers’ Futures
In a recent SiriusXM interview, NBA insider Chris Haynes hinted that a deal involving James could be developing.
“Usually when things like this start to trickle out, something is about to go down. I don’t know what that is. But that is usually how this works,” Haynes said.
“Usually when things like this start to trickle out, something is about to go down”@ChrisBHaynes on whether a blockbuster deal involving LeBron James could be on the horizon after Baxter Holmes’ story with @talkhoops
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— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) January 21, 2026
Haynes’ comments followed a report from ESPN’s Baxter Holmes that raised concerns about James’ relationship with former Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.
“And team sources told ESPN she even began to turn against the Lakers’ star player, LeBron James. Jeanie privately grumbled, people close to the team say, about what she felt was James’ outsized ego and the overt control that he and Klutch Sports, which represents both James and Anthony Davis, exerted over the organization at times,” Holmes wrote.
The tension reportedly dated back to the Lakers’ 2021 trade for Russell Westbrook, a move intended to satisfy James by pairing him with another star. The deal backfired, as Westbrook’s style clashed with the Lakers’ system.
Team chemistry suffered, and the Lakers missed the playoffs. Buss was said to be frustrated by James’ perceived lack of accountability, believing he distanced himself from the fallout after advocating for the trade.
Holmes added that Buss privately bristled at James’ tendency to shift blame onto others after the Westbrook deal.
But the story doesn’t end there. At one point, Buss reportedly considered trading James, with the Los Angeles Clippers viewed as a possible destination. That scenario never materialized, and James’ 2024 extension included a no-trade clause, giving him full control over any deal.
The relationship reportedly worsened after the Lakers drafted James’ son, Bronny, with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Holmes reported that Buss felt James should have shown more gratitude for the organization taking a chance on his son.
After Holmes’ story gained traction, Buss publicly pushed back. In an interview with The Athletic, she defended her relationship with James.
“It’s really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he has to be pulled into my family drama. To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him,” Jeanie Buss told The Athletic, per NBA insider Sam Amick.
James is averaging 22.5 points, 7.0 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per game this season, helping the Lakers to a 26-16 record. Whether a blockbuster move is on the horizon, as Haynes suggested, remains uncertain.
