We share the plan of the Los Angeles Lakers with LeBron James and JJ Redick

LeBron James will face his eighth season with the Los Angeles Lakers on a one-year contract, while coach JJ Redick's future is clearer after signing an extension. The absence of a long-term agreement between the franchise and the 40-year-old player, who in June exercised his $52.6 million option for the 2025-26 season, has led to speculation about his continuity just as the team prepares to open training camp next week.

Rob Pelinka, president of basketball operations and general manager, insisted that the Lakers want to keep James in the organization as long as he desires. "The first thing we want to do regarding LeBron and his future is to give him absolute respect to choose his story alongside his family in terms of how many more years he wants to keep playing," he declared in the pre-season press conference. "He has earned that right."

Pelinka emphasized that the Lakers have built "a truly competitive and strong team" with the aim to win for both James and Luka Doncic. The executive pointed out that it will be James himself, entering his 23rd season in the NBA, who decides how much longer he will play before retiring. As for the possibility of renewing him in 2026, he was firm: "We would love for LeBron's story to end by retiring as a Laker. That would be a positive story."

Although James' future is uncertain, the franchise has defined Redick's future, their second-year coach, who signed a four-year contract in June 2024 and has now received a multi-year extension. "We wanted to make it clear that he is the leader of our basketball in terms of coaching direction and on-court performance," explained Pelinka. "We believe he is a special coach with a special voice that is helping us define the culture of excellence of the Lakers."

The executive added that the decision was based on "trust and belief" in the former player, who with no prior experience as head coach achieved 50 wins and the third place in the West in his first season. "We wanted to make a clear statement of what we believe in, where we are going, and what our players will assimilate to continue building our identity."

Reddick and Pelinka, inseparable

Redick expressed gratitude for the support of Pelinka, interim Governor Jeanie Buss, and new owner Mark Walter. "It does not go unnoticed by me how rare it is for a rookie coach to receive an extension," he acknowledged. "I am aware of how lucky I am to be in an organization that backs me in that way."

The coach stated that he connected over the summer with James and Doncic and expressed confidence in both players' level for the new season. "[James] is in a great mental state, and I know he will give us his best," he said. "I expect the best version of Luka, and my job as a coach is to bring it out every day."

Regarding the starting five lineup, Redick avoided giving hints as he had done in the past. "It's not that important to me. I haven't spent much time thinking about it. We have seven or eight players with starter level in the NBA. Last year I defined the lineup and it changed 24 times during the season. I'm not going to bang my head against the wall about it before having trained."

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