LeBron James Trade Never Seriously Discussed By Lakers During Offseason

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly never engaged in any serious discussions about trading LeBron James this summer despite interest from multiple teams, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.

LeBron James Wants To Win Another NBA Title

After James exercised his contract option with the Lakers for the 2025-26 season, his agent, Rich Paul, made comments indicating that he might request a trade if he didn’t feel L.A. could field a title-contending roster.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN’s Shams Charania. “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.”

Even if for some reason the Lakers decide to trade James, the 21-time All-Star would first have to waive his no-trade clause. This is part of the two-year, $101.36 million contract he signed last July.

Lakers Added Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart

Fortunately, the Lakers did make a few offseason moves to upgrade their roster.

Although Dorian Finney-Smith inked a deal with the Houston Rockets in free agency, the Lakers were able to sign Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia. Jaxson Hayes also reached a one-year deal to return to L.A.

Free agent center Brook Lopez, who league sources said had strongly considered the Lakers for a potential starting role, opted to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers for a backup role after he “grew wary of the uncertainty around James’ future with the team,” per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst.

Lakers superstar Luka Doncic also agreed to a three-year, $165 million maximum contract extension, with a player option in 2028. The new deal keeps Doncic out of free agency next summer, eliminating his 2026-27 player option.

Per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the five-time All-Star guard could opt out of his three-year contract in 2028 and sign a new deal for 35% of the salary cap, which projects to five years and $417 million.

In doing so, Doncic would recoup all the money lost when he was traded by the Mavericks, with whom he had been eligible to sign a five-year, $315 million supermax extension this summer.

So the question now is, did the Purple and Gold make enough changes?

Doncic and James are set to enter their first full season together in 2025-26.