Byron Scott Says LeBron James Should Leave Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James could be suiting up for another NBA team next season.

He will be a free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season. With rising star Austin Reaves also set to hit free agency this summer, it will be difficult for the Lakers to re-sign both Reaves and James to high-paying contracts.

Therefore, James will most likely have three options this offseason: take a pay cut to re-sign with the Lakers, sign with a different NBA team or retire.

Lakers legend Byron Scott said James should sign with a different NBA team.

“I think this should be his last year here (with the Lakers),” Scott said on Brown Bag Mornings on Power 106. “…You don’t have go home but you gotta get the hell up out of here.”

Scott’s Legacy With the Lakers

Scott played 11 seasons with the iconic “Showtime” Lakers and won three NBA championships with the franchise in the 1980s (1985, 1987, 1988). He played alongside Hall of Famers like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy in Los Angeles.

After 10 seasons with the Lakers, Scott signed with the Indiana Pacers in free agency in 1993. He played two seasons with the Pacers before the Vancouver Grizzlies (now Memphis Grizzlies) selected him in the 1995 NBA Expansion Draft.

Scott re-signed with the Lakers as a free agent for his final season in the NBA in September 1996. It was also the same year the Lakers acquired legend Kobe Bryant for his rookie season.

Scott retired from the NBA after the 1996-97 season. Shortly after his retirement, Scott transitioned into a coaching role, starting as an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings in the 1998-99 season.

The 2007-08 NBA Coach of the Year became the head coach of the Lakers for two seasons from 2014-16. But his stint as a coach was unsuccessful, as he posted a 38-126 record across the two seasons.

Photo Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images

The post Byron Scott Says LeBron James Should Leave Lakers appeared first on LA Sports Report.