LeBron James has NBA free agency and Lakers in holding pattern

It’s no secret that most of the NBA is waiting on LeBron James.Even with James’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, saying James won’t be rushed into making a decision on which team he’ll play for next, and encouraging teams to fill out their open roster spots if they want to, much of the league’s free agency business remains on hold while James mulls his options.As sources described to the California Post, multiple teams — and players — throughout the league are in a holding pattern until James makes his decision. It’s why James Harden remains an unrestricted free agent after declining his $42.3 million player option with the Cavaliers over three weeks ago with the expectation he’d re-sign with Cleveland on a new deal. It’s why Draymond Green remains an unrestricted free agent after declining his $27.7 million player option with the Warriors, with the expectation he’d re-sign with Golden State on a new deal. And it’s not just the teams, or players associated with the franchises, in the hunt for James, such as the Warriors, Heat, Cavaliers and 76ers, that are in a state of limbo. It’s also James’ former team, the Lakers, who are in a wait-and-see stage for James’ decision before finalizing their roster. The Lakers have made several moves since James revealed on June 29 that he wouldn’t be returning to the franchise for his unprecedented 24th NBA season: Austin Reaves (four years, $180 million), Walker Kessler (four years, $130 million), Quentin Grimes (four years, $60 million), Sandro Mamukelashvili (four years, $52 million), Collin Sexton (two years, $19 million), Kevon Looney (one year, $3.9 million), Ziaire Williams (one year, $2.8 million) and Matisse Thybulle (one year, $3.3 million). They pushed forward with their roster reconstruction around superstar guard Luka Doncic once it was known James wasn’t returning to L.A. But as they continue to finalize their roster ahead of the 2026-27 season (they need to shed at least o...