Are the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James headed to a messy divorce?
At least one league executive believes that is the case, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne.
“One Eastern Conference executive was convinced James wanted out of LA,” Windhorst and Shelburne wrote on July 11.
That belief was born out of the cryptic statement issued by James’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, to ESPN after his top client picked up his $52.6 million player option on June 29.
“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.
James will be 41 next season.
“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 Moving on From LeBron
Getty LeBron James and Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers talk during the third quarter of a game against the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers have pivoted from James and shifted their priorities to their new franchise star Luka Doncic.
There were tell-tale signs — from the Lakers not informing James that they were trading his close friend, Anthony Davis, for Doncic, to the rescinded Mark Williams trade, then not giving him an advance notice of the sale of the majority ownership, according to Windhorst and Shelburne — of James’ losing his grip of power within the Lakers organization.
“Then, of course, the coup de grâce: The Lakers, by not offering James an extension, indicated they were comfortable having him on the roster as an expiring contract, a rare position for a superstar player of his caliber,” Windhorst and Shelburne wrote.
Warriors Considered LeBron Trade Anew
If James decides to leave the Lakers, the Golden State Warriors will be among his suitors.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne, the Warriors revisited their thoughts about pairing the 40-year-old superstar with Stephen Curry after their failed attempt last year.
“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.
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.
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