LeBron James’ 21st season could have unfolded on a very different path in recent weeks.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Golden State Warriors reached out to the Lakers in hopes of making a trade offer for star forward LeBron James.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob spoke to Lakers team president and co-owner Jeanie Buss about James’ availability, to which he was quickly shot down after his agent, Rich Paul, voiced that his client had no interest in a trade.
“In the end, the answer was returned resoundingly on the eve of the trade deadline: Paul told Lacob and Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr., that James had no interest in a trade and wanted to remain a Laker, sources said,” Shelburne and Wojnarowski wrote. “When Dunleavy reached out to Lakers GM Rob Pelinka in those pre-trade deadline hours, Dunleavy had been told the same: The Lakers wanted to keep James, sources said.”
Although it would have been intriguing, James had no desire to explore the possibility of joining Stephen Curry with Golden State.
The 39-year-old holds a $54.1 million player option for the 2024-25 season. There isn’t any clarity on whether he will pick up the option or explore free agency. The Warriors could enter the picture as a landing spot, but it appears his desire remains to stay with the Lakers.
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Los Angeles is expected to pursue another star player to keep their championship window open. The Lakers are rumored to have an interest in acquiring Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, or Kyrie Irving.
Time will tell what direction the franchise will head, but it’s clear that James is part of the future plans ahead.
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