LeBron James has told the Los Angeles Lakers the franchise can move on without him, as he intends to play elsewhere for the 2026-27 NBA season.
The bombshell news came via Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, who informed ESPN’s Shams Charania of James’s decision to leave Los Angeles.
The Golden State Warriors have emerged as the frontrunner to land James in free agency, described as “far and away” the league’s most interested team for the 41-year-old, per The Stein Line.
Golden State is also pursuing Anthony Davis via trade, a move that would transform the franchise into an unprecedented financial and talent juggernaut overnight.
The Warriors created flexibility to pursue both targets after Draymond Green declined his $27.6 million player option, clearing significant cap space for the organization.
Stephen Curry is already the highest-paid player in the NBA, earning a base salary of $59,606,817 this season with more historic money still to come.
Next season, Curry will become the first player in NBA history to surpass the $60 million single-season mark, after signing a one-year extension worth $62.6 million with Golden State.
Jimmy Butler, already on the Warriors’ roster following his trade from the Miami Heat, is earning $54.1 million annually under a two-year, $111 million contract extension.
Anthony Davis, the potential trade target, carries a salary of $58.4 million in 2026-27 and holds a $62.7 million player option for the following season, adding another massive figure to any potential deal.
LeBron James has earned more than $580 million in NBA salary alone over his legendary career, surpassing Kevin Durant to claim the record for highest career earnings in NBA history when his total topped $501 million.
While Michael Jordan holds the record for the largest single one-year contract in NBA history, LeBron remains the highest career earner, and Curry holds the record for both the highest single season salary and the largest multi-year contract in the league’s history.
Should all the pieces come together, a Warriors roster featuring Curry, James, Davis, and Butler would stack four of the most expensive player contracts in NBA history onto a single team.
No franchise in the history of professional basketball has assembled a payroll with this concentration of historically compensated talent, making Golden State’s offseason pursuit one of the most financially consequential in sports history.
