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Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Aug 27, 2025 6:17 PM EDT
LeBron James has been able to evade trade rumors for his entire 22-year career. This partially has to do with his greatness, but another factor is the level of control he usually holds within his teams.
But now he is in the twilight of his career; the four-time champion no longer has complete control of his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, and he seems more detached than ever. The Lakers sent away one of his best friends in Anthony Davis to acquire Luka Doncic at the trade deadline and James has been seemingly flirting with a trade ever since.
One of the most blatant warning signs to Los Angeles was when James posted a picture of him working out in a gym with a Los Angeles Clippers logo behind him. The trade rumors around the picture have since died down, but they are bound to pick up again after Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue’s comments on former ESPN host Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast.
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Lue obviously didn’t say much, but the non-statement itself sends a message because we know that coaches cannot speak on the potential acquisition of a player on another team. So, unless Lue is optimistic about the Clippers’ chances of trading for James, he would have no reason to answer like that.
What a Clippers-James Partnership Would Look Like
The 21-time All-Star is rapidly approaching retirement, so Los Angeles knows if they trade for James that they only have a couple years with him at the most. But if the future Hall-of-Famer is really available then he would slide in perfectly with the rest of the aging roster.
It’s not a slight, but the Clippers have just one player in their starting lineup under the age of 30, and trading for James would drop that number to zero. He still possesses elite skills and athleticism at 40-years-old, but the Los Angeles medical staff would have their hands full with a roster of stars that haven’t aged gracefully.
It would need to be a masterclass of health and ego management in Los Angeles for the trio of Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and James to work. But the Clippers have nothing left to lose, so it might be a good bargain if they can make a trade happen at the right price.
About the Author
Paul White