The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James have officially gone their separate ways, and now, the spotlight shifts firmly onto Los Angeles to see what life looks like after losing the player many consider the “greatest of all time” from the roster.
There’s no shortage of curiosity surrounding where James goes next with the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat or Cleveland Cavaliers emerging as some of the teams to watch as the next chapter of his career starts taking shape. But, for the Lakers, it’s all about making sure they have the perfect James replacement in the fold.
It’s difficult to imagine the pressure that comes with being the James replacement. Really nobody can fill his shoes. James has already won four NBA championships, including in 2012 and 2013 with the Heat, 2016 with the Cavaliers and, of course, 2020 with the Lakers. How do you fill those shoes?
How does LeBron James’ replacement with the Lakers stack up?
The most intriguing candidate to take over some of James’ role on the Lakers’ roster is Quentin Grimes The young wing joined Los Angeles on Wednesday, agreeing to a four-year, $60 million contract that gives the team a potential piece for its next chapter.
Grimes is coming off a breakout 2025-26 season with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he averaged 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists across 75 games. Those numbers obviously don’t touch the ridiculous standard James has set throughout his career, but they’re still a strong foundation for a player stepping into a much bigger spotlight.
The Lakers are expected to slot Grimes into James’ old slot as small forward. That will reunite him with Luka Doncic, whom he played with in Dallas before going to the 76ers.
There’s a lot of pressure on Grimes, Doncic and the entire Lakers roster to prove they can do things without James. Is Grimes a perfect replacement? No, but nobody is really a one-for-one replacement for James. What counts is that Grimes has shown promise and has the tools to step it up in James’ place.
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