There were times throughout the offseason when it seemed like LeBron James could be on his way out of Los Angeles, but the Lakers reportedly weren’t considering a trade.
Per ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel, the Lakers never had “any serious trade discussions” surrounding James despite interest from a handful of teams.
When James exercised his contract option with the Lakers for the 2025-26 season, his agent, Rich Paul, made comments indicating that he might want out if he didn’t feel Los Angeles was putting together a roster capable of competing immediately.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN’s Shams Charania. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
While exercising his contract option contractually tied him to the Lakers for another season, the threat of a trade demand seemed like a real possibility.
Ultimately, Los Angeles made some much-needed moves that should put it in a position to compete this year. The Lakers signed center Deandre Ayton, addressing an area of concern in the paint, and added some other pieces like Marcus Smart.
Had James asked out of Los Angeles, it would have been a bit disappointing to get just a half-season out of the pairing of him and Luka Dončić, but now the two will stay together in 2025-26 as James looks to add to his historic resume.
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
