That baton was passed as soon as L.A. finalized the trade that sent out James' handpicked sidekick, Anthony Davis, to acquire Luka Dončić, a 26-year-old megastar more than capable of piloting the Purple and Gold well past the LeBron era.

LeBron James has been with the Lakers for seven years. He recently exercised his player option for the 2025-26 season, but could be open to exploring options outside Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Lakers have now officially signed Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, and rookie Adou Thiero to multi-year deals. With those contracts now in place, here is a look at the Lakers' payroll for the 2025-26 season.

As rumors continue to swirl surrounding star forward LeBron James' future with the Los Angeles Lakers, one insider recently painted a bleak outlook.

The LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers 2025 offseason drama continues to shed more light. Apparently, LeBron has made up his mind on wanting out of LA for much longer than we had originally known.

Signing Deandre Ayton was the biggest addition for the team. They had to get a starting center, and Ayton will now be able to man that spot for the next couple of years. The Lakers also added Jake LaRavia in free agency, bringing in in on a two-year deal worth $12 million. He has a lot of upside with that deal.

NBA free agency is officially underway. Players were legally allowed to begin negotiating with teams across the league as of June 30, and there has been a flurry of activity. The most surprising free agency news to date happened Tuesday morning when the Bucks said they were signing big man Myles Turner,

The New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Golden State are unquestionably the three most popular trade destinations for James this summer. However, according to an anonymous NBA scout, the Lakers have made their decision on whether or not to trade James.

No one questions the bag Luka Doncic has on the offensive end of the floor. More news: Former Lakers Star Anthony Davis Undergoes Major Surgery With Mavericks