The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into a complicated 2025-26 season. On paper, the team look like capable contenders in the Western Conference, thanks to the presence of two of the league’s best players: LeBron James and Luka Dončić.
However, it’s also evident that the Lakers aren’t as deep and as talented as some of their rivals. They should be strong enough to reach the 2026 NBA Playoffs once again, but it’s hard to see them making a deep run unless they add some reinforcements before the 2026 trade deadline.
lebron’s “2nd decision” was just an ad 😭 🙏 pic.twitter.com/DjDIK61p8h
— buckets (@buckets) October 7, 2025
At the moment, the franchise’s future isn’t entirely clear. There are two things that the Lakers need to respond to sooner rather than later: what’s going to happen with LeBron James, and how head coach JJ Redick is going to shape the future years of the organization from a roster perspective after he signed a contract extension with the franchise earlier this year.
The $52.6M Question: What Happens When LeBron Hits Free Agency?
LeBron James has broken almost every record you can think of, but the King isn’t ready to retire yet… or at least that’s what he’s said. James is set to play his 23rd season in the NBA and his eighth with the Lakers.
There’s no doubt he remains an above-average player, as he registered 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game in his age-40 season in 2024-25. It’s not a question of how long he can sustain this level of play, but whether he’ll continue doing it as a Lakers player.
“How could I not feel young? My wife is beautiful. I look good. I look at my age just like the wine that I drink. The older wine I drink, the better it is. I feel great.”
– LeBron James 🍷
(via @Lakers)pic.twitter.com/NqvR4Wohei
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 30, 2025
James is under contract for the 2025-26 campaign with a $52.6 million salary, but he’s set to hit the open market and become a free agent in the summer. His decision on what to do next will have a domino effect across the league, yet no team will be more affected than the Lakers.
Will James keep playing after flirting with retirement in the past few summers? Will he stay with the Lakers, or will he join another franchise in an effort to win more titles before finally walking away from the game?
Pros and cons of LeBron staying or leaving the Lakers
If LeBron chooses to stay with the Lakers, the team will face major salary-cap constraints in adding quality complementary pieces to the James-Dončić duo – unless they trade Austin Reaves.
However, Reaves has proven he can be the third-best player on a contending team, so the Lakers aren’t eager to part ways with him. Still, James’s return could make Los Angeles an attractive destination for free agents looking to pair with two of the best players the NBA has seen over the last 25 years.
LeBron James 51 PTS, 8 REBS, 8 ASTS on 59% vs Warriors in game 1 of the 2018 Finals
Is LeBron going home?pic.twitter.com/7wRX26Obkr https://t.co/yPwANIKqsw
— NBA Performances (@NBARewinds) October 6, 2025
On the other hand, James could choose to leave for another team or simply retire. That scenario would free up a giant amount of space in their salary cap, which would allow them to reshape the roster and find players who can adjust well to Dončić’s playing style.
It wouldn’t necessarily be a teardown rebuild, at least not as long as Dončić remains around, but there’s no doubt the Lakers would look different without James. That’s why his decision is so important for the franchise. Whether or not LeBron is part of the equation will help determine the best course of action for the organization’s future.
How Redick’s Contract Extension Changes the Lakers’ Power Structure
Regardless of what James decides to do after the 2025-26 season, there’s one thing the Lakers don’t have to worry about, and that’s finding a new head coach. The club signed Redick to a four-year contract in June 2024, and the first-year coach responded not only by taking the team to the playoffs but also by finishing with the third-best record in the Western Conference and reaching the 50-win mark in the regular season.
Pleased with what he achieved, the organization rewarded him with a contract extension in September 2025. While the exact terms weren’t disclosed, it’s believed to be a multi-year deal.
“Just to make it clear that he’s the basketball leader, in terms of our coaching and on-court performance,” Lakers president of operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said when asked why the extension came only one year into Redick’s original contract.
Expectations will be even higher for the Lakers in 2025-26. The 2024-25 edition of the team had Anthony Davis, a superstar in his own right, but one with durability issues, but Davis was traded to the Mavericks in a blockbuster deal before the deadline last season, a move that fetched the arrival of Dončić. With the Slovenian star leading the way in Los Angeles, and with Dončić reportedly in the best shape of his life and motivated to retake his spot as one of the best players in the league, the Lakers have big goals for 2025-26 and beyond.
That shouldn’t be surprising, though. Having Dončić as the keystone of the project practically ensures that the Lakers must contend for the title year after year. It remains to be seen whether Redick can lead the team to those heights.
The BEST of LeBron James 2018 playoff run 🐐 pic.twitter.com/L17LRDmccA
— SportsPostingWs (@PostingSportsWs) October 4, 2025
It seems the organization trusts Redick enough to hand him the reins of the franchise, and why wouldn’t they? He delivered 50 regular-season wins in his debut campaign – the Lakers’ first time reaching that mark since 2019-20, the year they captured the title in the pandemic-shortened season.
It was an impressive start, but now he must take the next step in his development as a coach. Whether that step comes with or without LeBron James on the roster remains to be seen. But either way, the Lakers seem to be in good hands from a coaching standpoint.
