LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers no longer seem to be on the sturdiest footing, and Phoenix Suns fans should be rooting for the cracks in their relationship to continue expanding. It could be the pipe-dream scenario that helps undo some of the damage from the team’s disastrous Bradley Beal trade.
For those who might have missed it: LeBron opted into the final season of his contract with the Lakers after many assumed he would opt out, and sign another two-year deal. His agent, Klutch Sports Group’s Rich Paul, released a statement via ESPN’s Shams Charania that is roughly tantamount to “Thanks for the memories.”
Rich Paul: "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." https://t.co/cysMmAAhTv
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2025
Speculation around the league is now swirling that the NBA’s all-time-leading scorer opted in with the hope of forcing a trade elsewhere, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick. This logic tracks. If LeBron was merely trying to leverage the Lakers into making upgrades, opting out to explore free agency makes more sense. And if he wanted to keep wearing purple and gold, why not just sign another two-year deal?
Because it potentially wasn’t available to him—which would be great news for the Suns
LeBron has the power to force a trade to the Suns
Rich Paul’s comments to Charania are dripping with intention. They could be an attempt to save face if the Lakers were refusing to give LeBron a multiyear contract had he opted out in favor of preserving flexibility to continue building around Luka Doncic. But that doesn’t change the possible endgame.
LeBron’s leverage would be virtually nil if he entered free agency. No team has the spending power to max him out, and sign-and-trades are difficult to construct if he wants to land on a contender.
Opting in instead preserves LeBron’s no-trade clause, giving him enough power to choose where he plays next. If he wants to land with the Suns, and they’re the only team on his list, it opens the door for a Bradley Beal swap.
Beal’s salary ($57.1 million) will be larger than LeBron’s ($52.1 million), so a straight-up deal is possible. And because the Lakers are both in Los Angeles and have Doncic, it’s easy to envision Beal waiving his no-trade clause to consummate a deal.
Properly compensating the Lakers to make this happen gets complicated. Maybe they are willing to do LeBron a solid, or perhaps Beal would be willing to throw away his no-trade clause entirely to join the Purple and Gold.
Failing that, without any first-round picks to trade, the Suns may need to expand the deal so they can skirt the second apron and include multiple contracts. Tenth overall pick Khaman Maluach alone could be enough to get the deal done, particularly if L.A. is looking to get younger—which the seemingly imminent departure of Dorian Finney-Smith suggests they are doing.
Losing a lottery pick stings for Phoenix, but LeBron increases the intrigue factor on its immediate window, fits Mat Ishbia’s “There is no tomorrow” approach, and gets the team out from under Beal’s contract. The Lakers would likely be the tougher sell, since Beal eats into what could be a flexible cap sheet in 2026. But he would still come off in time for Los Angeles to spend big in 2027 free agency—when Nikola Jokic is currently scheduled to be available.
Yes, LeBron should be interested in the Suns
Whether the Suns offer a better shot at immediate contention than the Lakers is debatable. But Devin Booker and Jalen Green won’t displace LeBron from the ball nearly as much as Doncic does, and while we know the James family clan is settled in Los Angeles, right down to Bronny James playing on the Lakers, Bryce James has committed to the Arizona Wildcats.
Phoenix’s proximity to Los Angeles has always been a selling point for the team, and it’s no different for LeBron. If anything, it’s an even bigger deal. The Suns are also in the running to reunite with Chris Paul, one of LeBron’s closest (NBA) friends, and another player who wants to be closer to Los Angeles.
This is the larger theory driving any LeBron-to-Phoenix speculation. The Suns may not offer everything he wants, but they might just be a better fit for him—or be willing to do more for him—than the Lakers.