LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time career points leader and, at least arguably, the greatest basketball player ever to take to an NBA court, has ended the suspense about where he planned to finish his playing days. On Sunday, the 40-year-old, 22-year veteran announced he would stay with the Los Angeles Lakers.
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that James â the No. 1 overall draft pick taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers way back in 2003, out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio â would exercise his one-year, $52.6 million player option, making him a Laker for his 23rd and possibly last â though maybe not â season in the NBA.
Or did he?
Strange Statement From James’s Agent
Some curious quotes from the iconic superstar’s agent, Rich Paul, appeared to give at least a hint that James would force his way out of Los Angeles after all, theoretically by demanding a trade.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all,” Paul said, as quoted by Charania. “We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with [outgoing owner] Jeanie [Buss] and [general manager] Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”
That didn’t sound like the sentiments of a player fully committed to his current team. Do the Lakers have a “realistic chance of winning it all” in 2025-2026? Put it this way â ESPN Bet sets the Lakers odds of taking home the franchise’s 18th NBA banner at 14-1.
Whether James, who has made a point of controlling the course of his own career since that 2003 draft, will put in a trade demand with the Lakers remains to be seen, and probably depends on any further moves Pelinka makes throughout the summer.
But if James did choose to play elsewhere, the Lakers would certainly accommodate him. They would not want to be known as the team that denied James his fifth and certainly final NBA championship ring. So, where could James end up, if he chooses to leave the Lakers hanging after all?
James Could Win Final Title in Mile High City
According to NBA expert Bailey Bassett of Clutch Points, in an analysis published on Sunday, the most logical and obvious destination would be the team that has bedeviled James and the Lakers over the past two seasons â the Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets won their first championship just two years ago. As long as they have 6-foot-11 center Nikola JokiÄ, widely considered the best player in the world right now, as well as 28-year-old guard Jamal Murray who has averaged 20-plus points per game in each of the last four seasons, they appear poised to win another.
Adding LeBron James to the Denver rotation could seal the deal. At least, that is what James would have in mind.
“Leaving Los Angeles for Denver could be looked at in a similar light to when Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors after the Warriors knocked Durant out of the playoffs,” Bassett wrote. “Durant was criticized for that decision to join the enemy, but at the end of the day, it resulted in two championships. James has been unable to beat the Nuggets, but he could potentially win with them.”
With the Nuggets as a first-apron team, they have the freedom to combine player salaries to trade for James, while still accommodating his nearly $53 million price tag and remaining under the highly restrictive second apron.
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