‘Tis the off-season of change in Los Angeles, and oh boy, it’s been loud. Austin Reaves sticking around and that wild $10 billion Lakers sale? Yeah, that stirred the pot. LeBron opting into his player option might’ve saved the front office a mini-meltdown. But since then, it’s been a storm of updates—most of them not exactly gold and purple-friendly. And while Shams Charania probably didn’t enjoy dropping the bomb, the latest news hits hard. Real hard.

“Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith is declining his $15.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season and will enter free agency, sources tell ESPN. Multiple contending teams are expected to pursue Finney-Smith beginning Monday night and a Lakers return is possible,” wrote Shams on X. There’s been a lot of uncertainty surrounding the futures of pretty much all of their rotational players. And now we know the ill-fated future of one of them.

The 3-and-D specialist quietly had one of his best years, knocking down a career-high 41.1% from deep over 63 games—40 of those as a starter with Brooklyn and L.A. He averaged 8.7 points and 3.9 boards in just under 29 minutes a night. Sure, he recently had surgery on his left ankle, but don’t hit the panic button. When the training camp hits, DFS will be good to go.

But not for the Lakers. It’s about which team he will be ready for. And why does that hurt the Lakers? If you’ve heard about the way LeBron James has been masquerading about since his player extension, it won’t be such a surprise.

LeBron James eyeing roster changes before penning down future with Lakers

Bron’s player option confirmation got the entirety of LA ready to go out and get drunk. This called for a grand celebration – well, that was before James’ agent Rich Paul finished the whole story. LeBron James will be a Lakers player in his 23rd year of his career…only if he sees the Lakers being championship contenders this season. Well, that’s what happens when you hit your 40s. Life perspectives change.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN. How exactly? Well, Paul answered that as well.

“He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career. We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”

DFS deciding his own fate does put a hamper in those Lakers championships hopes for sure. If LeBron James needed a ring-winning roster, having a fantastic squad player like Finney-Smith, especially after a career season – would’ve been key. But all this does is add an extra layer of spice into the popcorn you should be feasting on watching this off-season unfold.