LeBron James shook up the NBA landscape this past Sunday when he issued a statement after picking up his player option for the 2025-26 season.
James stated that he understands the Los Angeles Lakers are planning for the future and building around Luka Doncic, but he and his agent Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul will look to do what’s best for the superstar. This came as a surprise to fans as it seemed to signal James would mull a trade if Los Angeles didn’t upgrade its roster this summer.
The Lakers have been operating as if James would be on the roster next season, but now the pressure is on to add the requisite talent to give him at least one more decent chance of winning a title. Following the statement, though, Paul cleared the air and said that James and the purple and gold are not discussing trades and that he believes in the team’s ability to satiate both his and Doncic’s timelines, via NBA insider Chris Haynes:
“What he is saying on behalf of LeBron James is that LeBron James has a few years left to play, and he’s still playing at a high level. He wants to win and he said LeBron understands the priority is Luka and maximizing his timeline… He made it clear LeBron is supportive of that. At the same time, the desire is that the Lakers also prioritize him as well and make sure they’re doing everything that they can to still compete now. That’s all he was saying. [Rich Paul] told me there has been no trade discussions, there are have been no trade talks with the Lakers, people have been speculating on certain teams that he might be interested in. I’m told that all that talk is false. There has been no trade talk, there has been no extension talk. He clearly opted in and he wants to win. He believes the Lakers have what it takes to maximize Luka’s timeline, but also maximize and prioritize his timeline. That’s what Rich Paul wanted to get clear.”
From Paul’s message to Haynes, it seems the confusion was unintended, though it was hard to read it as such given the wording. James, of course, has every right to demand the Lakers do what it takes to improve the team but it also sounds like he and Paul wanted to clarify that he’s still happy being in L.A.
For now, it sounds like there’s an understanding that James will be with the Lakers for the upcoming season, which makes planning things far easier. Los Angeles has been busy working the phones looking for upgrades and it’ll be interesting to see who they come away with.
LeBron James was not offered extra years on his contract
Historically, LeBron James has negotiated new contracts with the Lakers following opting out of his player options. This time around, though, James and L.A. didn’t discuss offering any extra years on his current deal.
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