LeBron Shares Timeline for NBA Free Agency, Retirement Decision amid Lakers Contract Rumors in Video

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said he intends to wait until later in the summer to make a decision as to whether he will be returning to the NBA after hitting free agency this offseason.

"I'm still in the moment of just taking my time. I haven't even really thought about it too much," James told Steve Nash around the 12:40 mark of Thursday's Mind the Game podcast. "Obviously, I understand that I'm a free agent, and I can control my own destiny, if being here with this franchise for the forseeable future or it's going somewhere else.

"But I haven't really even gotten to that point. I haven't even taken my family vacation yet, which is going to happen after Memorial Day. That's kind of the thing at the forefront of my mind."

James continued, "I think at some point, up in June, late June, as July rolls around, free agency gets going. As July's rolling maybe into August, we start to kind of get a feel of what my future may look like, if it's continuing to play the game that I love— which I know I can still give so much to the game, and play at a high level— or if it's not. But I have not gotten to that point yet."

Both Lakers coach JJ Redick and general manager Rob Pelinka have said they want James to return for another season should he desire to re-sign in Los Angeles.

Pelinka also said, however, that the "archetype of the roster we want is going to be retrofitted around Luka [Dončić]."

That could mean an ongoing change in role for James, who stepped back to allow Dončić and Austin Reaves to drive the Lakers' offense down the stretch of last season.

Both James and Reaves, who has a 2026-27 player option he is expected to decline, are now expected to hit free agency. That opens up the possibility the Lakers could rebuild their roster by finding players more likely to let Dončić dominate as the team's lead ball-handler.

James said his free agency decision would be based in part on how his family felt about where he spent the next year.

James' 12-year-old daughter, Zhuri, is currently playing club volleyball in Southern California. His younger son Bryce is heading into his redshirt sophomore season at Arizona, while elder son Bronny is signed for at least one more season with the Lakers.

James also emphasized a desire to win with his next team after getting swept by the Thunder in the second round of his most recent playoff run with the Lakers.

"Winning is most important, because you want to be excited about going to work every day. You want to be excited about, like I said earlier, winning the day, and being around a group of guys that feel the same way," James said.

Teams with win-now aspirations including the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks are expected to make bids for James in free agency.

Should James decide to return for another season, how he feels about the Lakers' championship hopes and his role behind Dončić could influence how seriously he considers those offers this summer.