LeBron James will finish the 2025/26 season with the Los Angeles Lakers. That’s what his longtime agent Rich Paul made clear in a podcast appearance. At the same time, however, he openly doubted that the Lakers have a serious chance of winning the title in their current constellation.
In the first episode of the podcast Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul, the agent was asked directly whether LeBron might finish the season with another team. Paul’s answer was short and clear. When asked whether a team change within the season was realistic, he said, “No.” And when asked whether LeBron would definitely finish the season with the Lakers, he added: “Yes. Where else would he go?”
Paul is thus putting a stop to all acute trade speculation. This is particularly striking because LeBron is playing with an expiring contract for the first time this season. The 40-year-old is in his 23rd NBA season and has never been traded in the “traditional” sense during his career. Only his move from Cleveland to Miami in 2010 was a sign-and-trade.
Harsh assessment: “Not good enough to be a contender”
Despite the Lakers’ strong start to the season (17-6, second place in the West), Paul does not see his client’s team at the absolute top in terms of athleticism. In the podcast, he said that he does not currently consider the Lakers to be serious title contenders and does not believe they will advance to the Western Conference Finals.
These statements contrast somewhat with Paul’s comments from the summer, when he emphasized that LeBron wanted to have realistic chances of winning the title in every remaining season and that they would carefully consider what was “best for LeBron at this stage of his career.”
In terms of sports, the 40-year-old is performing more modestly than in previous years: After a long break at the start of the season, LeBron has played seven games so far, averaging 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.6 assists. With him on the court, the Lakers are 6-1. From the summer of 2026, LeBron James could once again be free to decide his future when his contract expires. Speculation about a possible final career move, including musings about teams such as the New York Knicks, inevitably accompany him. In the podcast, Paul at least hinted that LeBron would take the Knicks to another level athletically, without fueling any specific scenario.