The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James appear to be headed for a split at some point in the future. It has become clear this offseason that Rob Pelinka and the Lakers are moving forward with the intention of building around Luka Doncic.

James opted in for the final year of his contract with Los Angeles. Since that decision, there have been reports that have surfaced about the team wanting to part ways with him.

No one knows what the future has in store, but James’ future with the Lakers is very much in doubt at this point in time.

A lot of rumors have connected James to the Golden State Warriors. The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks are two other teams that have come up as possible options for the longtime superstar.

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With that being said, NBA legend Charles Barkley spoke out with a pointed message to James. He made it clear that leaving Los Angeles is absolutely in his future.

“LeBron is going to have to move on at some point. I mean, it is what it is,” Barkley said. “You know, he’s been there, even though he’s been putting up good numbers; they haven’t been successful in probably four years. It’s already probably Luka’s team now. You don’t sign, trade for Luka Doncic, give him all that money, and it’s not his team.”

Barkley is likely 100 percent right with his thoughts. That notion has become an unspoken fact about the Lakers and their direction with Doncic.

While the end in Los Angeles might be drawing near, James is still playing at a very high level. On a nightly basis, he’s still capable of being a top-five player in the NBA.

During the 2024-25 season with the Lakers, James played in 70 games. He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds, and a steal per game, while shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and knocking down 37.6 percent of his three-point attempts.

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Should he decide to continue his playing career outside of Los Angeles, James would have a large market of teams interested in him. It will be interesting to see what next offseason has in store for him.

It’s still also possible that the Lakers will want to bring him back. Perhaps the team is competitive and the franchise sees a path forward with James and Doncic playing together.

Only time will tell, but for now it sure seems like a departure from Los Angeles could be in play for next offseason.

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