Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade has shot down the possibility of the Los Angeles Lakers trading LeBron James, his longtime friend and former teammate.
While speaking on “The Timeout” podcast, Wade addressed the recent reports of growing dissension between the Lakers and James, and the possibility of a split.
“Man, listen, they got nothing else to talk about. Bron is always going to be a story for the media,” he said, via Basketball Network. “Not saying it’s bad, at all, if you know how to use the media, it’s good for you.”
“But, at the end of the day, c’mon man, the Lakers just sold for $10 billion, they didn’t sell for $10 billion for LeBron not to be there.”
As Wade alluded to, the Bull family sold the Lakers to businessman Mark Walter for a whopping $10 billion, the highest ever value for a professional sports franchise.
LeBron James Controls His Future
It’s worth noting that James, who has a no-trade clause, will have to approve a trade, making a potential move all the more complicated. According to The Athletic, James has not hinted at wanting a contract buyout or has even requested a trade.
The chatter of James potentially leaving the Lakers was fueled by his agent, Rich Paul, shortly after his client exercised his $52.3M player option for the 2025-26 season.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul said via a statement.
“He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. … 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.”
Lakers Ready to Run It Back?
Amid the trade buzz, The Athletic reported on July 16 that all signs point to the James and Lakers running it back for at least one more season. Lakers beat writers Dan Woike and Joe Vardon noted that league executives at the ongoing NBA Summer League felt that the James trade rumors were unwarranted.
“In the sections filled with employees from other teams, scouts and executives around the NBA buzzed with speculation about where else James might play, tossing around trade and buyout scenarios that, league and team sources told The Athletic, have never been discussed between James and the Lakers,” read the article.
“Amid the constant speculation recently about his future, both the Lakers and people close to the NBA’s all-time leading scorer expect that he will be with the organization for training camp once the season begins this fall, league sources told The Athletic.”
Some have also floated the idea of James walking away from the sport after his record-breaking 23rd NBA season.
“I think we have to start thinking that this could be his last year in the league,” McMenamin said of James. “Rich Paul [James’ agent] told me there was no extension talk, because they didn’t ask for an extension. They didn’t broach the subject. Now, you could say, why didn’t the Lakers offer it? Sure, you could. But Paul’s point to me was this wasn’t a point of tension.
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