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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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There's been plenty of speculation about the NBA future of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James this offseason, and things took a wild new turn on Saturday.
The 40-year-old James, who exercised his $52.6 million player option earlier this offseason, has made it known through his agent Rich Paul that he wants to win at least one more championship before he retires.
"LeBron wants to compete for a championship," Paul said, via Yahoo Sports. "He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all.
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"... We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him."
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There have been several conflicting reports this offseason about where James will ultimately end up, and things got a little more interesting over the weekend when James was photographed on a yacht with Misko Raznatovic, the agent for Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
What made things even more intriguing is the caption Raznatovic posted on his Instagram account along with the photo.
"The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026! @kingjames @mavcarter," Raznatovic wrote.
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The cryptic post has several NBA fans buzzing about the possibility of a James-Jokic team-up in Denver in 2026, especially given the number of reports that indicate the Lakers don't have much interest in keeping James around beyond next season.
Many analysts believe the likeliest scenario for James sees him playing 2025 in Los Angeles with a revamped Lakers roster that already featured Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura and added Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia, before moving on to a new team in 2026.
Despite being the oldest player in the NBA, James is still one of the most productive players in the game. He ranked 13th in the league in scoring (24.4 points per game), and finished sixth in assists (8.2 per game) and 22nd in rebounds (7.8 per game) in 2024.
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