LeBron James showed out on Sunday in the Los Angeles Lakers’ first game since his co-stars Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves were diagnosed with demoralizing late-season injuries.
While the Lakers still fell 134-128 against the lottery-bound Dallas Mavericks, his standout performance in a lead role left FS1’s Nick Wright optimistic about his chances of being a difference-maker in a new home next season.
Nick Wright Envisions LeBron James Seeking Secondary Role With Warriors or Knicks in Free Agency
With LA missing Dončić (hamstring) and Reaves (oblique) to close out the regular season after the star duo suffered crippling injuries during Thursday’s 139-96 blowout road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, James was the unquestioned lead option against Dallas.
The 22-time All-Star responded with a team-best 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 15 assists on 12-for-22 shooting (54.5%), doing all he could to try to will his shorthanded squad to a comeback after falling into an early 22-point hole.
The vintage, well-rounded display came after James had firmly settled into a tertiary offensive role behind Dončić and Reaves, playing more off-ball than ever before for the then-surging Lakers, who went 15-2 in March.
While the four-time MVP is no longer equipped to be a primary option on a night-to-night basis at 41 years old, Wright envisions him thriving as a No. 2 scorer on a playoff team next season.
On Monday’s edition of “First Things First,” the NBA analyst named the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks as the two most viable free agency destinations for James. Wright also pushed back on rumors of the 23-year veteran potentially taking a backseat by pursuing another homecoming with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“It made me change his likely hierarchy list of teams for next year,” Wright began. “… Him going from lowest usage of his career — and by career I mean pee wee basketball to now — to 30, 9, and 15 seamlessly — and what he started the game 10-for-15 from the field — made me feel like, yeah, Cleveland is less likely than I thought because he’d be third option again, as far as ball in his hands.
“… So, it made me feel like the Knicks were a little more likely. [Jalen] Brunson, obviously, would be the primary, but LeBron would be the No. 1 secondary and could take some of the workload off him. It made me feel like the Golden State thing was more [likely] ’cause Steph [Curry] doesn’t need the ball in his hands. Steph’s not constantly bringing the ball up.”
Nick Wright breaks down how LeBron James’ big night vs. Dallas in a leading role alters the Lakers star’s free agency outlook. pic.twitter.com/rBahoYCMAp
— StatHunter (@stat_hunter) April 7, 2026
James has long been floated as a potential target for Golden State and New York, should he take a steep pay cut in free agency this summer from his expiring $52.6 million contract.
Playing alongside an elite guard like Curry or Brunson without a Reaves-level secondary creator in the mix could give the four-time NBA champion more chances to further defy Father Time with his playmaking and shot creation prowess in Year 24.
Regardless, Wright noted that he “liked seeing the old LeBron again for a night,” even as LA’s hopes of making a deep playoff run as the Western Conference’s fourth seed (50-28) appear to be rapidly fading.
