The future of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James remains one of the biggest stories of the offseason. There have been plenty of rumors already circulating about whether he will continue his career and the likelihood of him remaining with the Lakers or signing elsewhere. But James’ agent Rich Paul just shot down all of those rumors.
“Believe nothing that’s out there because I haven’t had one conversation with him,” Paul said in an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “At the end of the season I made it clear that I would respect he and the family, because this is gonna be a family decision for him. I went on to build a business that would do great long after LeBron retires so I’m not dependent of that at all, and Maverick [Carter] has done the same thing. He’s done a tremendous amount for everyone he’s ever encountered. Ex-teammates, coaches, executives etc. I don’t think there’s a player that has done more, not just the game, but people in the game that has benefitted throughout his 23 years.
“So whatever decision he decides to make, that is his decision. He doesn’t need to make a decision for anybody but himself in this regard. But there’s been no conversation. I have not had one conversation with him. We played a couple rounds of golf, I don’t mention it. When he comes to me and wants to sit down, I am more than prepared for every scenario that there could be. But when you think about numbers that’s being thrown out, what we’re asking about and all these things, that’s all false. We haven’t had one conversation with anybody about anything. So I’ll continue to give him his time and when he’s ready to talk, we’ll talk.”
There is no one closer to James than Paul so if he indeed hasn’t spoken with him about his future than it is hard to imagine there have been any real discussions within that circle. One thing Paul did confirm, however, is that there are a lot of teams interested in signing James this offseason.
“I’ll tell you guys this. There has been incoming calls from every team, with the excitement of possibly him playing for them,” Paul said. “So at 41 years of age, going on 42, I think that’s something to be extremely proud about. And it’s one of those things where it’s like, wow even at 42 I’m still wanted. That’s admirable… I would say without naming names, I would say about 10-12.”
There have been a couple of teams mentioned as real possibilities for James to join this summer if he doesn’t return to the Lakers as he has proven he is still extremely effective at his age. And until things become official, he will continue to be one of the most closely monitored players this offseason.
Warriors ‘legitimately interested’ in signing LeBron James
One of the teams known to be legitimately interested in bringing James this offseason is the Golden State Warriors, where he could potentially team up with longtime rival Stephen Curry for one final run.
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