Shams Charania says Lakers have ‘turned page’ from LeBron James

The relationship between LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers has seemingly taken a turn recently, as Jeannie Buss allegedly criticized the superstar forward. In a new report from ESPN’s Shams Charania, the popular NBA Insider claims that the franchise is ready to move on from James.

During a guest appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Charania insinuates that the Lakers want to focus more on building around Luka Doncic, and less on the 41-year-old forward. Essentially, the organization sees Doncic as the present and future, and James as the past.

“Could this be the year? Maybe it’s in part because of how this season’s going with the Lakers,” said Charania. “How the relationship has gone with the Lakers over the last year, year and a half. You could see they’ve clearly turned the page. Luka Doncic is clearly this team’s franchise cornerstone. Luka Doncic is where this team is going.”

Charania also says that he doesn’t believe that James himself knows what he wants to do next in his career. There is speculation that the four-time NBA champion will retire after this season, which is his 23rd in the league. However, there is also a belief that LeBron James wants to continue playing and could hit free agency and play elsewhere in the 2026-27 campaign.

We may not know the answer soon. Especially considering there are still several months remaining in the current regular season. Ultimately, LeBron James will have to make a decision on his future at some point. Until then, we should expect to see the 21-time All-Star playing for the Lakers.

James has been dealing with injuries throughout this year. He’s only played in 26 of the available 43 games so far. In those contests, James is averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game while shooting 50.8% from the floor and 33.1% from beyond the three-point line.

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