It’s Time For Lakers To Make Painful LeBron James Decision

If the Los Angeles Lakers are serious about building a contender around Luka Dončić, they need to seriously consider trading LeBron James. Yes, LeBron has a no-trade clause, but you have to think there are some teams Bron would be okay joining, particularly because the Lakers aren’t a frontline contender at the moment. If the Lakers can find a way to convince a contender to take on LeBron in exchange for multiple, valuable role players, everyone can win.

It’s becoming more and more obvious that Luka needs to be the center of LA’s solar system for the Lakers to be at their best in 2025-26 and beyond.

The Lakers might have to trade LeBron for basketball fit reasons. Luka is at his best when he gets to cook and control all the action with the ball in his hands. This team is just missing consistent weapons around him. They'd get those from a James trade.

— Ball Don't Stop (@balldontstop) October 25, 2025

Dončić’s game demands the ball in his hands on nearly every possession, a rhythm that propelled Dallas to the 2024 Finals. In his Mavericks tenure, despite playing with Kyrie Irving, Luka orchestrated 60 percent of the team’s plays, using pick-and-rolls to create relentless offensive opportunities that overwhelmed defenses.

Since landing in L.A., that dominance has carried over, as Luka has averaged 29.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.6 assists in 30 games for the Lakers so far. No matter how you slice it, LeBron’s presence on the Lakers minimizes Luka’s touches, forcing Dončić into spot-up roles that blunt his creation edge. A LeBron trade for versatile wings and/or rim protectors would allow Luka to feast without compromise.

Done wondering if the Lakers should trade LeBron. They need to do it now. You gotta build around Luka ASAP. He looks absolutely incredible.

— Jake (@JakeAndBall) October 25, 2025

We haven’t even mentioned Austin Reaves, whose 51-point explosion on Sunday was a reminder that there are simply one or two too many ball-dominant cooks in LA’s kitchen. That being said, it’s not outlandish to suggest that Reaves and Luka are a better fit together than LeBron and Luka, both in playing style and age. At 27, Reaves (a superior shooter to LeBron) thrives as a secondary creator, complementing Dončić’s gravity with off-ball movement and clutch shooting.

Layering James atop this duo creates overlap: three ball-dominant guards vying for usage. Prioritizing Reaves alongside Dončić fosters a fluid guard tandem with Luka as the obvious maestro.

Teams chasing a title in recent seasons like the New York Knicks or Minnesota Timberwolves might salivate at the opportunity to snag LeBron.

From the Lakers’ perspective, letting LeBron retire in LA rather than trade him would mean getting zero in return for LBJ once he calls it quits, thereby squandering potential assets in an increasingly cap-strapped league.

This isn’t an easy ask of the Lakers. They’d need to ignore the marketing power attached to James and think lucidly about the best basketball decision for the club.