He recognizes he’s not their priority anymore” – NBA analyst reveals that LeBron James realizes the Lakers are building a future without him originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Ever since the Los Angeles Lakers subtly began positioning Luka Doncic as their undisputed priority, granting him the freedom to recruit players, involving him in the team’s long-term plans and making constant public appearances as the team’s face, many believe that LeBron James’ unwillingness to take a pay cut for his 23rd campaign was a sign of disapproval.
Ultimately, speculation has reached a level where theories about the relationship between the Purple and Gold and King James may be at its most strained yet.
Adding fuel to this conversation, NBA analyst Ethan Skolnick recently expressed his belief that both these parties are only stuck with one another, and this partnership appears destined to dissolve in the near future.
Is James’ time in LA coming to an end?
Throughout the 2024-25 season, LeBron gave everything he had to the Lakers. Despite being in the twilight of his career, he registered an All-NBA selection with averages of 24.4 points and 8.2 assists per game. More importantly, when the franchise was dealing with the transition of trading Anthony Davis and Luka settling into the team, it was James’ leadership that kept the Lakers among the top seeds in the West.
Even in the playoffs, when the Timberwolves repeatedly exploited Luka’s defensive lapses, James shouldered a heavier burden, filling the voids of the team on both ends of the floor, all while improving his scoring average.
Nevertheless, Skolnick still believes that the developments in the 2025 offseason only show that the end is near for LeBron’s stay in Hollywood.
However, the main reason these two parties might enter the 2025-26 season together is that the trade market isn’t as optimistic about acquiring a 40-year-old LeBron as many might expect.
“This feels to me like the Lakers want to get out of LeBron James’ business. They want to pivot. He doesn’t like not to be celebrated,” Skolnick said. “It just feels like he recognizes he’s not their priority anymore, and that’s created some tension, some friction, and that’s why we’ve seen Rich Paul come out and said and hinting things in this regard.”
Ironically, even with Davis on board, LeBron was vocal about wanting AD to serve as the team’s catalyst. Then, when Doncic arrived, James made it clear that he wanted the Slovenian superstar to take command of the team while he embraced a complementary role.
LBJ’s logic was pragmatic — at this late stage in his career, the most realistic path to adding another championship ring is to surround himself with the most productive and consistent teammates possible. This would allow him to conserve energy, avoid unnecessary injury risks and reserve his most impactful contributions for pivotal fourth-quarter moments.
Perhaps the Lakers are simply executing that plan, building a roster designed to maximize Luka’s prime and prepare for the eventual post-LeBron era. With players such as Marcus Smart and DeAndre Ayton potentially emerging as long-term partners for Doncic, the vision appears strategic.
But for some reason, the NBA realm is quite content with adding fuel to the fire in the narrative of James being unhappy with the franchise, which ironically only seems to be making things easier for him in the long run.
