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NBA free agency’s period launched with big (but not shocking) news when LeBron James will not continue his professional career as a Los Angeles Laker.
Questions formed in my mind.
Did the Lakers really get left… or did the franchise make the first move, quietly moving on?
Did the Lakers “allow” LeBron to leave?
This feels like a mutual breakup dressed up as a player decision.
Reports say LeBron informed the Lakers he plans to play elsewhere, permitting the club to move forward. At the same time, L.A. appears to already be headed in its own direction reportedly centering the franchise around a younger cornerstone, namely Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves.
LeBron wanted one more real shot at a title, and the Lakers wanted a timeline that didn’t include a 42-year-old centerpiece.
The Lakers were savvy enough to avoid committing public relations hari kari saying, “We’re moving on from LeBron James.” The Lakers’ front office let LeBron say it for them respectfully, and gracefully.
There’s a Ben Folds song “Fred Jones, Part 2” about a newspaper employee being let go after 25 years. In the reprise, the person guiding him to the door says, “I’m sorry, Mr. Jones. It’s time.”
LeBron James at age 42 is no Fred Jones. He’s not Top 5 in live action among active NBA players, but he is among the Top 10-15. This is what he accomplished in his two most recent seasons:
In the 2025–26 season, LeBron averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists.
This was preceded by his 2024-25 season: 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists at age 40.
For Mr. James, it’s time… for another shot at a title elsewhere.
LeBron still controls game pace better than almost anyone, still makes teammates better, and he is not a Carmelo Anthony or (for FIFA World Cup fans) a Cristian Renaldo – two black holes who dominate their teams’ respective possessions.
How many 42-year-old NBA players are even part of any discussion ranking them among the Top 10-15 anyway in the first place?
You know what? If you wonder how much capital he still has in the association, I’ve been using his first name, not his last name, after typing his name the first time he’s mentioned in a newspaper piece.
Rumor has it LeBron will make the Gulfstream commute to San Francisco to join the Golden State Warriors.
Speculation arose when Draymond Green declined a $27.7 million option according to bleacherreport.com.
Draymond would not decline the option in order to sell his wares to other NBA franchises, and we’ll assume this for the sake of my opinion.
Varied media reports noted he said declining the option was partly about giving the Warriors flexibility to improve the roster, and this flexibility could include chasing LeBron.
Draymond’s official position is not, “This is for LeBron.”
The two share some common ground among similar agency ties, equal levels of urgency to capitalize on the closing window of a championship opportunity, and to put these thoughts and words out to the universe immediately before free agency.
Well, this would create something the NBA as a whole is beginning to move away from when building a roster – the Big Three approach.
Curry. LeBron. Draymond.
Shall we call them contenders or lean into the joke already used on sports radio, TV, and podcasts: the “Golden Girls?”
I’m carefully considering the choice because none of these three NBA stars are… done. They just have shorter windows and higher stakes.
Some of the NBA’s Big Three include:
The game’s pace and the salary cap have moved most franchises off this formula. Teams are spreading money and value across deeper rosters. Analytics emphasize spacing, versatility, and efficiency over star accumulation. Look at the two 2026 NBA finalists: the champion New York Knicks and the runner-up San Antonio Spurs.
These two squads appeared to lean on elite duos plus depth rather than top-heavy trios, alleviating the trappings accompanying three players making max money with insufficient depth.
Depth accompanied a shift in New York’s offensive approach to turn the squad’s brief first round woes into an eventual, suddenly dominant run to the NBA title, their first in 53 years.
LeBron being part of the “Golden Girls” will be a story line and an experiment to determine if aging greatness can still outperform the new approach to roster construction.
If LeBron makes this move the 2026-27 NBA season certainly will not be boring.
