The gigantic trade that had landed Doncic in Los Angeles had formed sudden new realities, one of which was James eventually becoming an expiring contract for the first time in his 23-year career. It was the strongest sign yet that the end of his Lakers tenure was near. Executives around the league scurried to decode it. One Eastern Conference executive was convinced James wanted out of LA. A handful of teams — including the Golden State Warriors, who tried to trade for James in 2023-24 — considered again whether to make an offer, sources said. One Western Conference executive chalked it up to an elaborate pout because the Lakers hadn’t offered James a new contract extension. Another Western Conference executive felt it was an attempt to pressure the Lakers’ front office to go all-in on building the team this season and away from its strategy to keep the cap sheet as clean as possible for the summers of 2026 and 2027 after James’ salary comes off the books.