To have LeBron James as an option, even if he’s your third choice, would be a dream scenario for any team in the NBA. But the Los Angeles Lakers may have taken that for granted during the 2025-26 season, the four-time MVP’s 23rd year in the league.

The Lakers, who signed Luka Doncic in the 2025 offseason, were clear about wanting to build the team around the Slovenian and star guard Austin Reaves. James was reportedly on board with that, willing to take a back seat and even accept a pay cut to help the team prepare for the future and fight for championships. But Ramona Shelburne has now revealed that the Lakers were not ready to meet James halfway.

The ESPN journalist shared a message from an inside member of the Lakers organization: “Honestly, I don’t know if we did enough to acknowledge the sacrifices he made in being willing to give the keys over to Luka and AR this year.

“Of course, he has a big ego, and people can say what they want about that. But he’s also the No. 1 scorer in the history of basketball, and he really tried to do what was best for the team to win,” the message further read.

James was 40 when the 25-26 season kicked off, and as good as he was the previous season (24.4 ppg, 8.2 apg, and 7.8 rpb), he was not the player he used to be in his prime. And the belief that he would lead them to another championship as the main man was wavering.

The franchise wanted Doncic, one of the NBA’s best players who was averaging a triple-double, and Austin Reaves, who was averaging 23.3 points per game, to be its primary scoring options. The Lakers insider admitted that James became comfortable playing behind both as he recovered from sciatica to begin the campaign. By the time he returned, Doncic and Reaves were already thriving as a duo, and the Lakers had become a different team.

Still, rather than focusing on disrupting the order of things, James leaned into his new role. He picked his spots offensively, acting more as a facilitator. Luka initiated most possessions, while Reaves continued to be tasked with a major scoring load. This wasn’t seen as a demotion. Instead, reports suggested that James prioritized winning over maintaining his traditional status as the team’s first option. Sadly, this was not valued internally at the Lakers, as the unnamed team member stated.

For one of the greatest players of all time to accept a tertiary role is rare. It only went to show that James no longer cared about personal milestones as much as he once did. He had pretty much put his final nail in that (GOAT conversation) coffin when he became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in 2023, passing Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points. Soon after, the only thing that mattered to him was winning a fifth ring before retiring.

In 2026, despite having high hopes of making a deep run at least, the Lakers fell 4-0 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West semis, a series Doncic missed completely due to a hamstring strain. In fact, the Slovenian did not play a single game in the postseason. James briefly became the main man again, averaging 23.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 6.7 rebounds per game across his 10 playoff appearances. But it wasn’t enough.

In the offseason, the Lakers made it clear that they wanted to prioritize other options over James. The King earned $52.4 million the previous season and was due for an extension, but the Lakers wanted to free up that cap space and build a new roster around Doncic and Reaves. James was even open to taking a paycut, but the Lakers refused to compromise.

LeBron James Was Willing to Take a Paycut to Stay at LA, Insider Says

LeBron James “might have been willing to take a pay cut from the $52.6 million he’d made the season before … if the Lakers explained how they planned to reallocate the money,” Shelburne added. However, there were limits to how far he was willing to go.

LeBron was open to taking a pay cut if the savings were used directly to improve the roster with championship-caliber talent. He was never viewed as willing to sacrifice salary simply to reduce the Lakers’ payroll or luxury tax bill. In fact, Yahoo Sports suggested the Lakers explore asking James to take a substantial pay cut, potentially as much as $20 million, if doing so created meaningful roster flexibility.

Despite all that, the relationship still came to an end. According to James’ agent Rich Paul, it wasn’t money or ego, but happiness. On his podcast with Max Kellerman, Paul explained that he challenged LeBron to ask himself one question entering Year 24: “What do you actually want now?”

James’ answer eventually became “complete happiness.” Paul then said that once LeBron decided happiness was his priority, returning to the Lakers no longer felt like the right choice.

Furthermore, the Klutch Sports CEO revealed that he spoke with Lakers president Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick, and those conversations were cordial. However, LeBron ultimately decided there was no need for a meeting with the organization. According to Paul, the Lakers wanted him back, but he didn’t want to waste anyone’s time because LeBron had already made up his mind. The Lakers never even got the chance to present a formal contract offer.

LeBron then informed the Lakers that they could “move on” because he would be playing elsewhere during the 2026-27 season. The announcement was respectful on both sides. LeBron thanked the franchise and its fans, while owner Jeanie Buss praised him for everything he accomplished during his eight seasons in Los Angeles.