LeBron James Trade Inquiries Reportedly Made with Lakers After Rich Paul's Statement
Like sharks sensing a presence in the water, Rich Paul's cryptic statement that accompanied LeBron James' decision to opt in to his $52.6 million salary for next season led some teams to call the Los Angeles Lakers about the four-time NBA MVP's availability.
Per ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst, there were a "few inquiries from eyebrow-raised teams" to see if James might be obtainable in a trade.
Paul issued a statement to ESPN's Shams Charania that left open the possibility his client might be open to playing for another team that could potentially present him with a better chance to win a title at this late stage of his career:
"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. 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.
"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."
James did give up some leverage by opting into his deal for next season, but there wouldn't have been an obvious destination for him on the open market.
The Brooklyn Nets were the only team with at least $20 million in cap space when free agency began. It's safe to assume James wasn't eager to join a club in the early stages of a rebuild that won 26 games last season.
There's also been no indication thus far that James is looking to force his way out of Los Angeles. He reportedly hasn't requested a trade at this point. Even if that request were to be made, James would be able to dictate where he goes thanks to having a full no-trade clause in his contract.
James' age also makes a trade difficult to parse out because the acquiring team would presumably not want to give up a significant return for a 40-year-old, even one who is still playing at an All-NBA level.
For example, the Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly aren't that interested in trading for James. The Dallas Mavericks, who already employ James' former teammates Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, reportedly would only have interest in him if he were to receive a buyout.
It makes no sense for the Lakers to buy James out because he's still incredibly valuable and could bring back a nice return in a trade for a team that wants to build around Luka Dončić.
All of this is to show how complicated the path would be for James to leave the Lakers if that's the direction he wants to go.
James is one of the most calculated athletes and businessmen in the world today. Nothing about him gets put out into the world by someone from his camp without intention.
This whole thing is a situation that teams will keep an eye on because Paul's comments didn't come out of nowhere.
