LeBron James makes any NBA franchise better, but at what extreme would another team be willing to exhaust assets to acquire the 40-year-old superstar? That’s the dilemma amid trade speculation after James opted in to his player option with the Los Angeles Lakers, leaving his team with little flexibility in hopes of strengthening the roster ahead of the 2025-26 season.
“To be sensitive to LeBron, who’s one of the greatest of all time, there isn’t (a trade market) and here’s why,” ESPN’s Bobby Marks said Tuesday on Get Up. “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 them ‘would you give up the farm to go get LeBron James for one year?’
“And the unanimous answer was ‘no’ they wouldn’t. The stakes change a lot if LeBron James ever became a free agent and did some type of buyout in Los Angeles. There, you would have 29 teams lined up for him.”
Marks used the Cleveland Cavaliers acquiring James in a trade as a hypothetical and said they would have to move five or six players just to bring James back to town.
“As one team told me, that’s just not smart business,” Marks said.
James was of the league’s top players in his 22nd season, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds. He is reportedly uncertain about the Lakers’ roster moving forward and is keeping track of the franchise’s free agency moves this month leading up to next season.
Rich Paul, James’ longtime agent, told ESPN his client is “prioritizing roster improvement” and is willing to “work with the Lakers” on a bit of a discount if the franchise is able to acquire an impact player.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul said. “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.”
Trade buzz involving James will increase if the Lakers whiff in free agency. The franchise specifically needs a center and the Lakers have been reportedly reluctant to move future draft picks. Paul made it clear his client wants to win another NBA title — or at least have an opportunity — in the final stages of his career. And at the moment, it doesn’t appear Los Angeles has the roster capable of doing that.
