With the 2026 NBA Finals wrapping up in mid-June, and then the 2026 NBA Draft finishing on June 24, the time approaching Independence Day was expected to be quiet on the NBA front in terms of news-making.
Enter LeBron James.
The all-time leading scorer in NBA history has this period in mind as to when he’ll decide on his basketball future. James, 41, is a free agent after wrapping up another season with the Los Angeles Lakers. There’s not only no guarantee that he’ll return to Los Angeles next season but also not given that he will return to the NBA, period, for his 24th NBA season, courtesy of comments he recently made.
“I think at some point, up in June, late June, as July rolls around, free agency gets going, as July’s rolling maybe into August, we start to kind of get a feel of what my future may look like,” James told Steve Nash on the “Mind the Game” podcast. “If it’s continuing to play the game that I love—which I know I can still give so much to the game and play at a high level—or if it’s not. But I have not gotten to that point yet.”
Last season, free agency negotiations began on June 30, with players then able to sign contracts starting on July 6. The league is expected to have a similar calendar this offseason, so James says he’ll announce his decision right around this time.
James has three options in front of him, with one of those options having several branches to it. He could return to the Lakers. He could retire, which seems to be the least likely considering his still high level of play, his love for the game, and the fact that he wouldn’t get the proper sendoff via a farewell tour that Lakers greats before him, like Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, received in their final NBA seasons.
The third option is leaving the Lakers via free agency, and the several branches with this choice come with the several suitors he would have. Coincidentally, three of those favorites to potentially land James if he departs Los Angeles are still playing in the Conference Finals. James has been linked to a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, making his way to Broadway to play for the New York Knicks, or linking up with Victor Wembanyama on the San Antonio Spurs.
Other teams that have been floated as potential destinations for the four-time MVP include the Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Clippers. Something that James says will go into his decision on a destination is the culture the organization has in its pursuit of victories.
“Winning is most important, because you want to be excited about going to work every day,” James said. “You want to be excited about, winning the day, and being around a group of guys that feel the same way, and trying not to take steps backwards.”
“I’m not going anywhere where it’s a start-over in year 24,” he said. “I’m done with that.”
During the session, James also said that he has a planned family vacation for Memorial Day, which would, presumably, include one of his Lakers teammates. That, of course, is Bronny James, who is under contract with Los Angeles for 2026-27, before there is a team option for 2027-28.
While Bronny’s presence on the team would seemingly be a positive in his father returning to the team, the Lakers have other roster decisions which could affect LeBron’s desire to return. Austin Reaves is set to become a free agent after a breakout season and has ascended to the No. 2 option on the team, behind Luka Doncic.
The NBA is a salary cap league, and with Doncic already making the max, and Reaves warranting an annual salary that could pay him close to $40 million, James may get squeezed out. James made nearly $53 million this past season, 12th-most in the NBA, and he may have to take a pay cut of over $20 million in order to fit under the cap, assuming Reaves re-signs.
James has the highest career earnings in NBA history, raking in over $580 million in salary. But given his stature as the biggest star in the sport, in addition to his recent play, he’s still deserving of being one of the league’s highest-paid players.
He averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds in 2025-26, making him just one of six players to average 20-6-6. The other five have an average age of 25.6, as the soon-to-be 42-year-old is defying Father Time.
Every time he takes the court, every minute of action he plays, and every point he scores extends all-time NBA records, as he’s already the leader in games, minutes, and points. We should find out late June or early July if he’ll continue to add to those totals, and soon after, we should find out which team he’ll do it for.
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