CRAIG`S RESTAURANT on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood is known for its celebrity clientele and offers two distinct entrances. One, the front door, is for those who don`t mind the paparazzi presence outside this famous spot. The other, a private entrance at the back, provides discretion for guests wishing to avoid public attention.
Inside, the restaurant’s tinted windows and low lighting create a secluded atmosphere, perfect for high-level discussions over fine wine and upscale comfort food like pigs in a blanket or honey truffle chicken.
On May 3rd, four days after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, a VIP booth at Craig`s was reserved for four key figures: the Lakers` new superstar point guard, Luka Doncic; his long-term manager, Lara Beth Seager; Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka; and head coach JJ Redick.
Notably absent was LeBron James, who had been the central figure in every Lakers decision and strategy for more than seven years.
Redick, Pelinka, and Seager arrived through the public front entrance, while Doncic chose the private back entry.
However, all four departed through the front door. Paparazzi and fans outside quickly spotted them, and videos were soon circulating on TMZ and social media. Doncic even paused to sign autographs before leaving.
Their exit through the public entrance underscored the clear message of the meeting: Doncic is now the face of the franchise, and the Lakers intended for him—and everyone else—to recognize this new reality.
According to sources who spoke to ESPN, over a bottle of Opus One, Pelinka and Redick laid out their strategy not only for building the team around Doncic’s unique skills but also explained the intricacies of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement and their plans to navigate its constraints.
That exquisite wine might have helped Doncic absorb Pelinka`s detailed explanations of complex subjects like the second salary cap apron, the importance of maintaining salary cap flexibility to potentially acquire another star of a similar age, and the remaining draft assets available to the team. Pelinka brought a substantial binder, indicating this was a working dinner.
This type of meeting, complete with a binder outlining offseason plans, long-term strategies, and future aspirations, used to be held with James. Discussions would focus on targets the team eventually acquired, such as Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, and those they did not.
Pelinka has been in regular contact with Doncic and Seager since acquiring the young star from the Dallas Mavericks 3½ months prior, in what was one of the most surprising trades in NBA history.
Pelinka met Doncic upon his arrival on a private jet on a Sunday in February, just hours after the trade. Later that week, he consulted with Doncic before a trade for center Mark Williams—a player Doncic had requested to play alongside—which was subsequently rescinded.
However, building a deeper relationship was challenging during the intense mid-season period. The Lakers, like the rest of the league, are acutely aware that Doncic faces a monumental decision beginning August 2nd, when he becomes eligible to sign a contract extension with the team.
Regardless of the team`s moves at the center position—they signed Deandre Ayton as their starter—or how they added depth on the wings—landing Jake LaRavia—securing a long-term commitment from Doncic remains by far the most crucial piece of offseason business for the Lakers.
The prized star has the option to become a free agent next summer under his current contract, a situation any franchise prefers to avoid. The Lakers are eager to prevent this by having Doncic agree to a new deal.
Doncic is eligible for a four-year extension worth $223 million, an offer the Lakers will undoubtedly present. However, he might prefer a three-year deal totaling $160 million, which could position him better for future contracts. The Lakers would gladly accept either, though they may need patience. Doncic is participating in the high-stakes EuroBasket tournament with the Slovenian national team throughout the summer, potentially delaying his NBA contract matters until mid-September.
Such detailed contract negotiations, however, are not typically conducted over dinner at Craig`s in May. That dinner was for planning summer visits to Doncic in Europe, discussing potential teammates he’d like to play with, and exploring the team`s style of play and organizational culture.
Behind the tinted windows, the Lakers` leadership conveyed a clear message to the star they hope will guide their future: This is the potential life in Los Angeles if he chooses to stay and become the next face of the franchise.
This message appears to have been positively received. “The Lakers leadership team has been incredibly welcoming and supportive of Luka since we arrived in L.A.,” Seager shared with ESPN. “We`ve spent significant time talking and getting acquainted over the past few months, establishing a strong working relationship. Championships are achieved through teamwork. We all share that common goal.”
As the group exited publicly through the front door, the franchise implicitly broadcast that message: They are prepared to usher in the Luka Doncic era in Los Angeles, even if it signals the gradual conclusion of the LeBron James era.
LESS THAN TWO months after the pivotal dinner with Doncic, another significant, though markedly different, statement was made by the individual not present that night: the former face of the franchise.
The message was delivered through Rich Paul, James` longtime agent and confidant.
“We understand the challenge of winning now while also building for the future. We need to assess what is best for LeBron at this juncture in his life and career,” Paul stated to ESPN`s Shams Charania ahead of James` decision on June 30th to exercise his final year player option worth $52.6 million.
“He is committed to making each remaining season impactful, and the Lakers acknowledge, support, and desire what`s best for him.”
Despite the news of James picking up his option, contractually binding him to the Lakers for the 2025-26 season, the statement immediately caused a stir across the NBA. It felt like a valedictory address, hinting at a larger strategy or future move.
The monumental trade that brought Doncic to Los Angeles had created sudden new realities, one being that James would eventually enter the final year of his contract for the first time in his 23-year career. This was the most explicit sign yet that his tenure with the Lakers was approaching its end.
Executives throughout the league scrambled to interpret the meaning.
One executive in the Eastern Conference was convinced James intended to leave LA.
Several teams, including the Golden State Warriors, who had explored trading for James in 2023-24, reportedly reconsidered making an offer, sources indicated.
A Western Conference executive dismissed it as an elaborate expression of frustration because the Lakers had not offered James a contract extension.
Another executive from the Western Conference believed it was an attempt to pressure the Lakers` front office into fully committing to building a championship contender for the upcoming season, steering them away from their strategy to keep the salary cap clean for the summers of 2026 and 2027, after James` salary obligation ends.
Regardless of the underlying reason, the statement had immediate consequences. Free agent center Brook Lopez, who sources indicated had seriously considered joining the Lakers and potentially starting, grew hesitant due to the uncertainty surrounding James` future with the team. He ultimately chose to sign with the rival LA Clippers, where he accepted a backup role.
Before releasing the statement publicly, Paul informed both Doncic and the Lakers.
Sources reported that Paul contacted Seager, with whom he has a relationship, to extend an olive branch. He wanted to assure them that James had always appreciated Doncic`s admiration and that Doncic understood the business dynamics of the league. He clarified that the statement was not a reflection of James` feelings about their experience playing together. Paul also suggested that if James were to make any further career decisions, he would communicate them.
James understood the Lakers seizing an opportunity to transition to a younger superstar. However, from James` perspective, sources noted that the nuances of the transition were sometimes overlooked. Doncic had never requested a trade to the Lakers. In contrast, James had chosen Los Angeles in 2018 when the team was struggling, having missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons—their longest drought since relocating from Minneapolis. Two years later, James had helped the franchise secure its 17th championship.
Paul also formally notified the Lakers that James planned to pick up the final year of his contract after the team engaged in no significant discussions about extending him for an additional year or two, sources confirmed, unlike the two previous extensions offered during James` time with the Lakers. It was at this point that he informed the organization about the forthcoming public statement.
The Lakers had already made their own statement by not offering James a contract beyond the upcoming season. It became abundantly clear that for the 21-time All-Star, his time as the face of the Lakers now had a deliberate endpoint, even if his record-breaking NBA career did not yet.
Whether the 2025-26 season marks James` final year in the NBA is ultimately his decision. But if he envisioned the type of legendary Hollywood farewell that only the Lakers can provide for their icons, the timeline had been set.
Spring 2026.
Luka Doncic entering, LeBron James potentially exiting.
Naturally, if James ultimately decided to retire, the Lakers would honor him with the same grand celebration they provided for Kobe Bryant during his farewell tour in 2016.
But for the first time in his 23-year NBA career, a team had not gone to extreme lengths, begging or leveraging their future assets, to retain James beyond his current contractual obligation.
THE LAKERS` SHIFT in approach did not catch James completely off guard, sources indicated, but it was not something he accepted easily.
Since the trade involving Doncic on February 1st, the Lakers have subtly signaled this transition from James to Doncic through a series of small, cumulative actions:
• They did not provide him with substantial prior notice that they were trading Davis for Doncic. Sources said James ultimately forgave this lack of warning, acknowledging his respect for Doncic and understanding the franchise`s rationale for the trade and the need for secrecy.
• Within days of acquiring Doncic, Pelinka attempted to pair him with Mark Williams, an athletic young center. This move was significant because Davis and James had, for years, requested the franchise acquire a true center, a request that had previously gone unfulfilled.
• When the Buss family agreed to sell a majority stake in the franchise to Mark Walter on June 18th, Doncic was given advance notice and notably posted congratulations on social media shortly afterward. James was not afforded the same advance notification and did not publicly acknowledge the sale afterward.
• And finally, perhaps the most definitive action: The Lakers, by choosing not to offer James an extension, indicated their comfort level with having him on the roster as an expiring contract, a rare position for a player of his caliber and status.
James has responded to this treatment by releasing cryptic clues about his intentions, a tactic he has employed multiple times throughout his career when feeling discontented with his current team.
• Following the Lakers` playoff elimination, James was asked if playing against more physical opponents after the Doncic trade had impacted him. “No comment,” James replied, adding, “I never say that because my guy AD said what he needed and he was gone the following week.” James was referencing an interview where Davis had requested the Lakers trade for a center, shortly before Davis himself was traded away.
• After picking up his player option and issuing the statement that fueled widespread speculation about his future, James amplified the rumors with a series of social media posts referencing his time with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.
On July 4th, he reposted a photo of Lakers team broadcaster Allie Clifton wearing a Cavaliers jersey with the comment, “Proper attire.” Clifton is a Cleveland native and worked for the Cavaliers during James` second tenure there from 2014 to 2018.
Two days earlier, he had shared a video of himself playing golf in Cleveland, wearing a hat inscribed with “Welcome Home.”
Officially, the explanation was that James wore the hat to support his friend Paul Rivera, co-creator of James` show `The Shop,` who recently launched a new media company called Homecoming.
Unofficially, the interpretation is quite different.
“Nothing LeBron does is accidental,” commented one source familiar with his methods.
Although a clear, public strategy for the final phase of his career has yet to surface, James` history of meticulously planning contract structures and strategically creating options to move teams years in advance suggests that his actions are rarely spontaneous or without a larger purpose.
The week leading up to these events was marked by anniversaries of significant past moves. Tuesday was the 15th anniversary of his “Decision” to leave the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. Wednesday marked 11 years since his explanation for returning to Cleveland via a Sports Illustrated cover story.
Between 2014 and 2018, James signed four contracts with three distinct designs, each crafted with specific goals to maximize his earnings, leverage, and flexibility.
However, much like Doncic, whose plan to spend his entire career in Dallas was abruptly and surprisingly altered by the February trade, James` own long-term plans have also been unexpectedly reshaped.
James has been constructing his permanent residence on a Beverly Hills hilltop for the past five years; reportedly, securing the necessary permits alone took three years. His children attend school in Los Angeles. His business ventures are primarily based in L.A. Aside from annual trips back to his hometown and vacations, Los Angeles is where he spends most of his time.
Then came the trade for Doncic, followed by the sale to Walter, and a sequence of events that plainly demonstrated the Lakers are now prioritizing someone else`s long-term future.
James has never encountered a situation quite like this. Perhaps more than any player in NBA history, he has controlled his career trajectory through a unique combination of foresight and unparalleled influence.
Now, nearing the end, there`s been a plot twist that even he apparently did not anticipate.
