[The Athletic] The notion that James would want a farewell tour — long cited as evidence that this season was not his last — is false, those sources said, with several sources even hearing that directly from James himself.
The hypothetical tour, like so many other things dealing with James, is something people believed he’d want. Just like they believed he’d be unable to meld his style around the Lakers’ guards or stomach the organization prioritizing its future around younger stars.
That warmup session in Dallas came shortly after the Lakers played their best basketball since the 2019-20 championship season, a stretch of play that helped stoke James’ passion for winning and repair bridges that had been damaged during his eight years with the Lakers.
After months of speculation that the two parties were headed for a divorce, a strong March changed the Lakers’ landscape and, potentially, the future between the organization and player. Winning, sources said, increased the chances of James and the Lakers extending their partnership.
Around the league, rumors also persist that one last run in Cleveland, or a superstar Steph Curry-James duo in Golden State, are plausible possibilities as well. Per team sources, the Warriors’ interest in James this summer remains serious. The Cavs, and the prospect of a goodbye tour where James’ journey began, are also still widely seen by rival executives as a legitimate possibility. But in both cases, the luxury tax poses obstacles that likely mean James would have to make major financial concessions to come their way.
His decision, whatever it might ultimately be, will undoubtedly have family considerations heavily factored in. And the prospect of relocation that comes with some of these options is nothing to gloss over, with one executive from an interested team sharing that James’ reluctance to leave Los Angeles has been no secret among outside suitors.