Four teams have reached out to LeBron James‘ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, amid speculations about his uncertain future with the Los Angeles Lakers, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports.
“Paul also made it clear to me that LeBron has not asked for a trade, and Paul has not even discussed the possibility of wanting a trade in the future with the Lakers,” McMenamin said during the ESPN broadcast of the NBA Summer League game between the Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans on July 12. “Paul did tell me that four teams contacted him with interest in trading for LeBron, though, so now we wait.”
ESPN requested James to join the broadcast to discuss his future with the Lakers and the rampant speculations brought by the cryptic statement from Paul. But the Lakers’ 40-year-old superstar turned down the opportunity to end the speculations once and for all.
“I ain’t got nothing to talk about,” James told McMenamin.
LeBron Pressures Lakers to Go All-In
Getty Lakers GM Rob Pelinka greets LeBron James during a G-League game at UCLA Health Training Center.
The speculations about James’ future with the Lakers stem from Paul’s cryptic statement on June 29 when his top client opted in to his $52.6 million player option.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN. “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.”
Paul told ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania that James will closely monitor the Lakers’ offseason.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future,” Paul continued. “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.”
So far, the Lakers have made two key moves.
After the 32-year-old Dorian Finney-Smith bolted for the Houston Rockets, the Lakers pivoted to unproven 23-year-old wing Jake LaRavia. They also took a flier on Deandre Ayton to fill their starting center role after the former No. 1 pick reached a buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers.
They still have the 2031 or 2032 first-round pick to use in a trade, while they are also sitting on nearly $55 million of expiring salaries.
Warriors Considered Trading for LeBron Anew
While McMenamin did not identify the four teams who reached out to Paul, his ESPN colleagues Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne named the Golden State Warriors as one of James’ suitors should he ask out.
“A handful of teams — including the Golden State Warriors, who tried to trade for James in 2023-24 — considered again whether to make an offer, sources said,” Windhorst and Shelburne wrote on July 11.
The Warriors have the cleanest path to trading for James, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic.
“Butler makes a tad more than James does, marking the trade legal, though if it were constructed this way, it would hard cap the Lakers at the first apron, since they’d be absorbing more money than they send out in a deal. If the Lakers were fine with that, they could execute the one-for-one trade,” Katz wrote on July 2.
Butler’s two-year, $111 million extension kicks in next season. His short deal also fits the Lakers’ plan to create as much cap room to add another young max player next to Luka Doncic in the summer of 2027.
If the Lakers want to duck the first apron, roping in a third team would still be easier to execute for them and the Warriors, Katz added.
“Golden State and Los Angeles could find a third team willing to take on one of the Lakers’ minimum salaries (say, Jordan Goodwin’s) without giving any salary back. This way, the total money leaving the purple and gold is above Butler’s incoming salary,” Katz wrote.
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