Russillo: Lakers' LeBron James Trade Rumor Originated in Jeanie Buss' Spin Class

It was apparently people in Jeanie Buss' spin class who suggested to the Los Angeles Lakers owner she trade LeBron James.

"Stephen A. came out and said people close to Jeanie Buss were saying you should trade LeBron and we found it was people from her spin class," ESPN's Ryen Russillo said on his The Russillo Show podcast. His comment comes after colleague Stephen A. Smith brought up the possibility of the Lakers trading James on SportsCenter:

"Nothing is out of bounds right now. We don't know what the hell is going on in Los Angeles. You've got folks close to Jeanie Buss imploring her to trade LeBron James. He does not have a no-trade clause, and now you haven't given him the coach he wanted.

"LeBron James has quietly been about the business of trying to get Kawhi Leonard to come to the Los Angeles Lakers instead of the Los Angeles Clippers. So making a move like this, by not bringing in the coach he wants, not securing the coach he wants in Los Angeles, you never know what dominos are going to fall right now."

Smith clarified that the people who were talking to Buss were "Hollywood people."

Even the idea of trading James seems borderline comical given his resume with three championships, four league MVPs, three NBA Finals MVPs and 14 All-NBA selections. The Lakers signed him last offseason to compete for championships, and giving up on that endeavor after just one season would be a surprising development.

That one season was fraught with disappointments, though, as the veteran who had been to eight straight NBA Finals dealt with injuries and missed the playoffs for the first time since his second season in the league in 2004-05.

What's more, Anthony Davis trade talks dominated regular-season headlines, and Magic Johnson stepped down as president of basketball operations in a surprising press conference.

Smith's appearance on SportsCenter came after talks between the Lakers and James' former head coach, Tyronn Lue, broke down. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported negotiations "reached an impasse," and the team has since hired Frank Vogel.

Lakers fans worried about the Purple and Gold trading James even after so many disappointing developments can probably rest easy, though, because people in Buss' spin class surely aren't making the calls in the front office.