Jeanie Buss Reportedly Floated LeBron James Trade to Clippers, 'Grumbled' Over Lakers Star's 'Ego'

Prior to selling a majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter last year, Lakers team governor Jeanie Buss was reportedly growing disillusioned with superstar player LeBron James.

According to ESPN's Baxter Holmes, Buss' issues with James became so significant that she "privately mused" about not giving him a new contract or even trading him in 2022, noting that she "floated" the Los Angeles Clippers as a potential landing spot.

Buss issued a statement to The Athletic in response to the reporting:

"It's really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he has to be pulled into my family drama," Buss said. "To say that it wasn't appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him."

Holmes added that Buss "privately grumbled" about what she perceived as LeBron's "outsized ego," and the idea that Klutch Sports Group—which represented both James and Anthony Davis—was exerting "overt control" over the Lakers organization.

Per Holmes, Buss did not like that James was considered a "savior" of the franchise when he first signed in 2018, and her feelings toward James reportedly worsened following the trade for Russell Westbrook in 2021.

Buss reportedly felt the trade was made to appease James, but after it didn't work out and Westbrook was moved the following season, she was rubbed the wrong way by LeBron's "lack of accountability and the way James would shift blame onto others."

On top of that, Buss reportedly felt James was not grateful for the organization selecting his son, Bronny James, with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

Sources told Holmes that despite Buss' feelings toward LeBron, she felt "resigned to the fact that they'd have to" give him a new contract in 2024 because of the negative PR that would surround the team if they didn't. As a result, she "almost begrudgingly" agreed to do so.

James is in the midst of his eighth season in L.A., marking the longest, uninterrupted tenure he has had with one team in his NBA career.

LeBron has remained a top player into his 40s, and although the organizational results have been somewhat mixed during his tenure, he did lead the Lakers to a championship in 2020.

James remains a highly influential figure, but for the first time since joining the Lakers in 2018, it can be argued that they are no longer "his team."

That is because L.A. acquired Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks in a blockbuster trade last season, and he is the clear future of the franchise.

Dončić is also the present, though, as he leads the NBA in scoring with 33.5 points per game, and he was the unquestioned go-to guy when James missed the start of the 2025-26 season due to sciatica.

Despite Buss' reported negative feelings toward James over the years, this feels like the first time there are legitimate questions about his future in L.A.

LeBron is only signed through this season, meaning he could potentially sign elsewhere in free agency, or he could choose to retire at the age of 41.

Buss still wields significant power within the Lakers organization as the governor, but as majority owner, Walter has final say, which suggests Buss' reported problems with James won't necessarily lead to his departure.

Of course, the events of this season could play a major role in what James and the Lakers decide to do next. As things currently stand, they are fifth in the Western Conference with a 26-16 record, and they are one of a handful of teams that feel like legitimate contenders in the Western Conference.