Ex-Lakers champion tells LeBron James to leave so Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves can lead

Former Lakers coach Byron Scott wants LeBron James out of Los Angeles. He shared his bold take on the Brown Bag Mornings podcast earlier this year. Scott made it clear that the team needs to go in a different direction.

"You getting paid 50 million. You're 41, 42, 43 years old, right?" Scott said via his podcast. He believes the Lakers should fully build around their younger core right now. 

"You got to build around Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves," Scott added on the show. Scott argues that keeping LeBron blocks the team from adding fresh talent.

"You can't do that if he's still here," he explained to the hosts. "You can go get two really good basketball players," Scott also mentioned.

Scott calls himself a straight up fan who absolutely does not mince words. His whole argument is about cap space and building for the future.

LeBron became an unrestricted free agent after finishing the 2025-26 NBA season. He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game at 41.

The cap numbers tell the real story about this whole situation though. LeBron carries a $59.5M cap hold that heavily limits all roster moves. Doncic is already locked in at $49.8M and Reaves sits at $20.9M.

Scott doubts that a core of LeBron, Luka, and Reaves can truly compete. He says deeper teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder would beat them.

Scott also suggested that LeBron should head back to Cleveland for 1 last ride. He sees a possible farewell homecoming season for the King in 2026-27.

Scott did leave 1 big exception on the table for the King. He said LeBron deserves a statue if the Lakers beat the Celtics. That scenario would mean winning the 2026 NBA Finals in dramatic fashion.

That is vintage Byron Scott always keeping it real and 100 about the Lakers.

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