Report: Buzz around NBA is that this is LeBron’s final ride with Lakers

It’s still anyone’s guess as to what star forward LeBron James’ future in the NBA will look like after the 2025-26 season.

At 40 years old and nearly 41, he’s the league’s oldest active player, and there’s a chance he will decide to retire from the NBA after the season. But if he opts to continue his pro career past this season, he will be able to choose his next move, as he is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer.

A little more than a fortnight since James made his season debut for the Los Angeles Lakers after dealing with a sciatica injury, the buzz around the NBA reportedly is that the current season will be his swan song with the Purple and Gold.

“While general manager Rob Pelinka said before the season that he’d like James to retire with the Lakers, the buzz around the NBA is that this will be his final season in Los Angeles (whether he decides to continue playing or call it a career),” NBA insider Eric Pincus wrote.

James is in his eighth season playing for the Lakers. Since making his season debut last month, he’s shown some signs of rust or age. Through five appearances, he’s averaging just 15.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. To boot, he’s shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from 3-point range, a far cry from the type of efficiency he usually maintains.

His incredibly lengthy streak of scoring 10-plus points in NBA games nearly came to an end in the Lakers’ most recent game against the Phoenix Suns as well. Los Angeles lost the game by double digits, and James simply didn’t look like himself, as he totaled just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field to go along with three assists and zero rebounds.

Still, assuming this season is indeed James’ last as a Laker and he doesn’t opt to hang up his jersey following his 23rd season, there likely will be a number of teams interested in grabbing him in the offseason. Even if he might not be the game-breaking player he once was, he’s certainly still an impactful player at the highest level.

It’s also possible that he will shake off his slow start in the coming games and start to look like his All-NBA self again. He’ll look to find his footing from a scoring standpoint when the Lakers square off against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night. Toronto has fared surprisingly well this season and holds the East’s No. 2 seed.