An NBA reporter revealed that the Lakers are set to part ways with LeBron James, and James himself is ready for this change.

Today, NBA insider Jake Fischer mentioned on a live show that the Lakers are ready to part ways with LeBron James, and he thinks LeBron himself is prepared to move on. This has become a common consensus in Los Angeles, where it’s believed such a separation will occur this summer.

“The Lakers’ failure to acquire Keon Ellis further confirms they won’t be strengthening their perimeter this season. They are reserving salary cap space for this summer, aiming to keep Reaves, while searching for promising young wings who can complement Doncic and Reaves. They are targeting potential wing players like Watson, Eason, and Matherlyn.”

Another NBA reporter, Windhorst, also commented: “I don’t expect the Lakers to make any moves before the trade deadline. If you carefully review the Lakers’ actions over the past nine months, it’s clear they’ve been preparing for a roster rebuild in the summer of 2026. By then, the Lakers will have more cap space and three first-round picks for trades. Currently, they are shopping expiring contracts without including draft picks and are reluctant to take on contracts beyond this season.”

The NBA trade deadline this season is at 4 AM Beijing time on February 6th, leaving little time for the Lakers. If the Lakers make no changes, it indicates they won’t fully commit to contending this season, which is the final year of LeBron’s current contract. Instead, they remain focused on the future, planning to go all-in on a superstar this summer to form a big three with Doncic and Reaves.

Given this, it seems highly likely that LeBron will leave the Lakers. According to sources from the Los Angeles Times, if LeBron chooses to continue playing next season, four teams will pursue him: the Lakers, Cavaliers, Warriors, and Mavericks. The report specifically notes that the Cavaliers, Warriors, and Mavericks are new suitors outside of the Lakers.

Many veteran fans probably feel that LeBron’s final playing year will be back with the Cavaliers, returning to the place where his dream began. Whether or not he wins a championship, it would be a fitting conclusion to his legendary career.

After the loss to the Knicks yesterday, LeBron spoke about the Lakers’ current situation: “I like my teammates, and I like our team right now. But we have to keep improving. That’s a good thing; we should always strive to get better, and after all, it’s only February 1st.”

“We will continue to elevate our performance. We’ve played about 48 games so far. The Western Conference is very competitive, and the league’s overall level is high. As I said before, we’ve been plagued by injuries all season and our lineup has constantly changed. Unfortunately, our All-Star shooting guard (Reaves) has been out for a while, and he is crucial to the team. So right now, it’s hard to see our true potential ceiling.”

Perhaps the Lakers’ management thinks the same way, because LeBron suffered from sciatica early in the season and missed over a month. After he returned, the team hadn’t fully gelled when Reaves was sidelined for more than a month. Therefore, they haven’t seen what a healthy Lakers team can do and have chosen to stay put without making trades.

Since Reaves’ injury, the Lakers have mostly relied on a starting lineup of Doncic, Smart, LaRavia, LeBron, and Ayton. Their record with this lineup is 9 wins and 7 losses, ranking fourth from the bottom in net offensive and defensive efficiency, playing a total of 440 possessions with a plus-minus of -6.6.

It’s very unlikely the Lakers will make any more trades. Hopefully, when Reaves returns, the Lakers can take a step forward and become true championship contenders. As for LeBron’s games, each one might be one of the last, so everyone should cherish them.