Many thought LeBron James would finish out his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers — and he still might — but comments made by his agent, Rich Paul, on Sunday raised some eyebrows.
"LeBron wants to compete for a championship," Paul told ESPN. "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.
It’s always been about winning championships for James, and if he feels the Lakers don’t have what it takes, it's certainly possible he could look elsewhere. If the 40-year-old does end up playing for another team next season, though, it would have to come via trade, since he opted into his $52.6 million player option on Sunday as well.
Meanwhile, on Monday morning, ESPN’s Bobby Marks was asked whether there would even be a market for James if he wanted to be traded.
"You know, to be sensitive to LeBron, who's considered one of the greatest of all time, there isn't, and here's why, Dan," Marks replied. "He's making $53 million, he's in his last year of his contract, he's 40 years old, and I talked to numerous teams yesterday, and asked that same question, would you give up, basically, the farm, and basically you'd have to give up four or five players to go get LeBron James for one year, and the unanimous answer was, no, they wouldn't."
Marks did say teams would change their opinion on acquiring James if he were a free agent, as that would allow them to avoid giving up multiple players in a trade and not take on a $52.6 million contract.
"Now, the stakes change a lot if LeBron James ever became a free agent and did some type of buyout in Los Angeles," Marks said. "There you would have 29 teams lined up for him, but from a trade perspective, and here's a hypothetical, his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are in this second apron and have spent a lot of money, they would basically have to trade about six players, Dan, just to go out and get him for one year, and as one team told me, that's not smart business."
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23)
Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
Next season will be James’ 23rd in the NBA after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. He’s arguably the greatest player to ever play the game and has nearly every accolade imaginable.
He’s a four-time NBA champion, four-time Finals MVP, four-time league MVP, 21-time All-Star, three-time All-Star Game MVP, 13-time All-NBA First Team selection, scoring champion and much more.