After a lot of speculation, it sounds like LeBron James is set to be a Los Angeles Laker this season. He opted into his contract, but there were rumors he wanted to be traded.
He never requested a trade, and a deal never materialized. While anything can still happen, it’s unlikely James gets moved before the season.
The Lakers have eyes toward the future, but they have made moves that will allow them to compete this season. Keeping James on the roster makes them a better team, and the Lakers know that. Spotrac’s Keith Smith spoke to a Lakers executive, and they expressed happiness that James didn’t go elsewhere this offseason.
“Whenever you sign a player to a deal with an option, you willing give them the control to initially guide the situation,” the executive told Spotrac. “But this notion that a player option gives the player all of the power, is pretty silly. If they opt out, the team is then a partner in re-signing them or not. If they opt in, then the team is a partner in whatever happens next too. For LeBron, he had a player option and made his decision to opt in. We’re just happy that he’s still a Laker.”
James Trade Talk Has Gone ‘Quiet’
As noted earlier, there was a lot of James trade talk this offseason, but that has cooled down. According to NBA insider Zach Lowe, teams are expecting James to stay with the Lakers this season.
“LeBron’s on the Lakers,” Lowe said on the “Bill Simmons Podcast.” “I’ve heard it’s kind of gotten quiet now after it was the talk of Summer League. There doesn’t seem to be like a clean solution either way. Everyone’s saying we should expect them to be on the Lakers. That’s my expectation. But I agree with you. Like on paper there’s a [Miami] Heat trade that is not crazy for either team.”
Does James Want to Be a Laker?
At the end of the day, if James didn’t want to be a Laker, he could’ve opted out of his contract and gone elsewhere. Once he opted in, he made it much more difficult for himself, as not a lot of teams have the means to trade for a 40-year-old making $52 million.
While there was a lot of speculation out there that James was over the Lakers and looking to move on, that might not be the case. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, James likely wants to stay in Los Angeles.
“A lot has changed for LBJ in the last year,” Windhorst said, via Marca.
“A year ago, the Lakers were offering him a multi-year deal with a player option, drafted and guaranteed Bronny a long-term deal, and LBJ was offering to give up money to work with free agents. Now Luka is the centerpiece of the franchise, and the transition has shocked and strained everyone, and they’re all dealing with the new reality. That’s playing out partially in real time and in some public. At the end of the day, I think LBJ wants to be a Laker.”
