Los Angeles Lakers Star LeBron James Expected To Remain With Team Through NBA Trade Deadline

If you’ve been glued to your phone refreshing X waiting for the biggest shoe in the NBA to drop, you might want to give your thumbs a rest. Despite the noise, the rumors, and the sheer chaos that defines the NBA trade deadline, the King isn’t leaving his castle just yet. According to league sources, LeBron James is expected to finish out the 2025-26 season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James Remains Committed Amidst the Noise

Seeing LeBron in anything other than Purple and Gold mid-season would have been jarring. The man is 41 years old. He’s in his 23rd season. The idea of him packing up his locker and learning a new playbook in February sounds exhausting just to think about, let alone do.

Rich Paul, LeBron’s agent and CEO of Klutch Sports, actually tried to tell us this back in December. On his “Game Over” podcast, he was pretty blunt: “No. Where is he going to go?”

And honestly, he had a point. LeBron possesses the rare and powerful no-trade clause. He holds all the cards here. If he doesn’t want to move, he doesn’t move.

But rumors are like weeds in the NBA; they grow whether you water them or not. Since Paul’s comments, the Lakers have taken a tumble in the standings, falling from the No. 2 seed down to No. 6 in the West. Throw in that spicy report from ESPN’s Baxter Holmes about tension between LeBron and Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss, and you can see why everyone started firing up the trade machine.

When asked recently about his plans, LeBron kept it simple, telling reporters, “I’m good… I’m good.”

Rival Teams Are Shaking Up the League

Here is where it gets interesting, and perhaps a little frustrating if you’re a Lakers fan. While LeBron is staying put, the teams he might theoretically want to play for are busy loading up.

The Cleveland Cavaliers just pulled off a massive move. They agreed to trade for James Harden, shipping out Darius Garland. That is a “win-now” move if I’ve ever seen one.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors and the New York Knicks are reportedly sniffing around the Milwaukee Bucks, trying to see if Giannis Antetokounmpo is available. The league is shifting beneath our feet. Other contenders are swinging for the fences, trying to capitalize on the final years of the LeBron era by building super-teams to take him down. And yet, the Lakers seem to be standing relatively still.

What This Means For LeBron and the Lakers

So, where does this leave us? Tonight, the Lakers face the Brooklyn Nets. Austin Reaves is back on the floor, albeit on a minutes restriction, which is a breath of fresh air for a rotation that has looked thin. But the clock is ticking. The trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 5, at 3 p.m. ET.

If the Lakers aren’t trading LeBron, the pressure shifts entirely to the front office to build around him. You don’t keep the all-time leading scorer on your roster just to fight for a Play-In spot. That’s malpractice.

There is a very human element to this, too. We are watching the twilight of the greatest career in basketball history. LeBron has admitted he doesn’t know if he’ll retire this summer. He even hinted that the Lakers’ recent trip to Cleveland “very well could be” his last time playing in Northeast Ohio.

For now, L.A. can breathe easy knowing their superstar isn’t forcing his way out the door this week. But come summer? All bets are off. If this season ends in disappointment, the conversations in July are going to be a lot louder and a lot more uncomfortable than the whispers we’re hearing now.