New NBA Rumors Reveal LeBron, Lakers Rift 'Never Fully Recovered' from Russell Westbrook Trade

The ill-fated trade for Russell Westbrook in 2021 was reportedly the catalyst behind the deterioration of the relationship between LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the "disconnect" between James and the Lakers started during the 2021-22 season, which followed the Westbrook trade, and the partnership "never fully recovered."

James' agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN's Shams Charania on Tuesday that LeBron informed the Lakers of his plan to play elsewhere in 2026-27, thus ending his tenure in L.A. after eight seasons.

After Westbrook arrived in L.A., the Lakers went 33-49 in 2021-22, marking the only time in the past seven seasons that they missed the playoffs.

The 2017 NBA MVP simply wasn't a good fit alongside James and Anthony Davis, and the Lakers parted ways with him during the 2022-23 campaign, trading him to the Utah Jazz, who later bought out his contract.

In January, ESPN's Baxter Holmes reported on issues between James and Lakers governor Jeanie Buss, and he too brought up the Westbrook trade as a point of contention.

Buss reportedly felt the Westbrook trade was made with an eye toward appeasing James, and after it blew up in the Lakers' faces, Buss had a problem with LeBron's "lack of accountability and the way James would shift blame onto others."

Despite that, James spent four more seasons in Los Angeles after the Westbrook trade, and his eight consecutive years with the Lakers marked his longest continuous tenure with one team in his 23-year NBA career.

James' run in L.A. has finally come to an end, though, as the 41-year-old veteran will spend his 24th NBA campaign with a different organization.

A source close to James told McMenamin that LeBron felt "it was time to move on," and after considering his next move following the conclusion of the Lakers' 2025-26 season, he decided that he wanted a change and a chance to play "meaningful, competitive basketball" elsewhere.

Despite speculation that the Lakers acquiring Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks for Davis and other pieces during the 2024-25 season may have irked James due to the notion that the Lakers became Dončić's team thereafter, McMenamin was told by team sources that there was "no personal rift" between James and Dončić, and that they "got along and respected one another."

Although James won only a single championship with the Lakers in 2020 and never made it back to the NBA Finals after that, he still enjoyed a great deal of success in Los Angeles.

He was named an All-Star in each of his eight seasons with the Lakers, and he became the NBA's all-time leading scorer during his tenure as well.

Now, James will look to close out his career on a high note, as he potentially makes his final free-agent decision.