LeBron James’ main reason to not return to the Lakers after win-now summer moves

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The Los Angeles Lakers probably look like title contenders for 2026-27 if LeBron James returned to them on the veterans’ minimum, but that was never going to happen.

James ended an eight-year stint with the Lakers this offseason, reportedly not even considering a return to the franchise after announcing he would look for a new team before free agency opened.

With the 25 days James took to make his decision, the Lakers sneakily built a strong team that would be genuine title contenders if James joined, but that was never even a thought.

LeBron James believed the Lakers were done with him​

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin revealed that James’ camp felt the Lakers wanted to move on from LeBron despite Lakers GM Rob Pelinka saying they would do everything to retain their 41-year-old star.

“People close to James believed the Lakers were ready to move on from the 22-time All-Star and were never serious about re-signing him despite the president of basketball operations and GM Rob Pelinka stating the contrary during an end-of-season news conference after L.A. was swept in the second round by the Oklahoma City Thunder.”

James’ departure freed the Lakers up to give Austin Reaves a max contract extension and revamp their roster by adding the likes of Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamu, among others.

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The Lakers still have a clear hole at their starting forward position, and James could have filled that out perfectly if he wanted to return.

But it seems LA’s recent decisions, like acquiring Luka Doncic as James’ long-term replacement without telling LeBron, gave the 41-year-old all the signs he needed to move on to a new challenge.

The Lakers have exhausted almost all their tradeable resources, except for a 2032 first-round pick swap. Their roster can be competitive, but it lags behind other contenders in both Conferences.

If James surprised everyone and decided to return to LA after all their offseason business to add 3-and-D players and a star center, we might have been looking at the Lakers as bona fide title contenders.

Read more:

• One Philadelphia 76ers promised LeBron James he would ‘sacrifice his game’ to recruit him
• LeBron James took an in-person free agency meeting with only one team, and it wasn’t the 76ers
• Why the Golden State Warriors reportedly passed on trading for Jaylen Brown

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