NBA Rumors: Lakers Have 'Little to No Fear' LeBron James Will Request Trade

After sending Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers aren't worried that star forward LeBron James could have a change of heart and request a trade, according to the Los Angeles Times' Dan Woike.

"According to people familiar with the Lakers' thinking not authorized to speak publicly, the team has little to no fear that James will want to leave via a trade this season," Woike reported Monday. "He can opt out of his contract that's set to pay him more than $52 million next summer and become an unrestricted free agent, but that's not an immediate concern for the Lakers."

By trading Davis for Luka Dončić, the Lakers might be taking a small step backward despite the fact Dončić is the better of the two players. The 25-year-old is nursing a calf injury, and there will be an adjustment with him and James on the court together once he's healthy.

With this deal, Los Angeles is taking a more long-term view, and that raised the question of whether LeBron would prefer a situation with a more direct path to a championship right now. Per Woike, some executives around the NBA were wondering just that, or pondering if L.A. would execute another big trade with the four-time MVP in mind.

The idea that James might get a little restless makes some sense. He turned 40 in December and may not be around when the Lakers are enjoying the full benefits of having Dončić on the roster.

But LeBron has turned down multiple opportunities to leave Los Angeles as a free agent when the team's outlook was basically the same, or perhaps even worse. He also resisted trade overtures from the Golden State Warriors ahead of the 2024 deadline.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Sunday that James "dreamed of" playing on the same team as Dončić but basically never thought it would come to fruition.

It's hard to picture why LeBron would reach for an exit door when the Lakers made one of his long-standing wishes a reality.