By Evan Massey
Copyright newsweek
The future of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has become a major talking point around the NBA.During the 2025 offseason, rumors started popping up about James leaving the Lakers. Some even thought he would end up being traded by the team before the 2025-26 season.While those rumors were loud, James remains in Los Angeles. He’s set to play the final season of his contract with the Lakers. That has led a lot of people to predict that the 40-year-old superstar could leave the team next offseason and finish his career with a different franchise.Read more: Lakers Legend Urges Team to Make Surprising Austin Reaves MoveIt’s possible that James could play for another team next season, but that is far from being a sure thing.That being said, a new survey from ESPN has revealed a major prediction for James’ future. The most likely scenario according to that survey was James re-signing with Los Angeles next offseason.In the survey, seven of the 20 analysts shared their belief that James will simply re-sign with the Lakers. Another five predicted that James would retire. Him sticking in Los Angeles was the majority of the predictions.James enjoys playing with fellow superstar Luka Doncic. Over the next couple of years, the Lakers should continue being one of the top championship contenders in the NBA.Rob Pelinka and the front office are fully sold on competing for a championship. That became obvious with the aggressive move to sign Deandre Ayton this offseason in free agency. Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia were also added to the roster.Moving away from Los Angeles could be an option. If James and the Lakers end up not being on good terms, there would be plenty of contenders with interest in signing him. But, changing teams also comes with a lot of stress outside of basketball.Read more: Lakers’ LeBron James Doesn’t Hold Back About Luka DoncicDespite all of the rumors that have suggested James heading elsewhere, it does still seem more likely that he will finish out his career in Los Angeles. The rumors of the Lakers wanting to move on from James also have not seemed to end up being accurate.Expect to continue hearing a lot of rumors and speculation about James’ future. At least the members of ESPN’s panel don’t see him leaving for another city.For more on the Los Angeles Lakers and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
