With rumors buzzing about LeBron James‘ waning loyalty to the Los Angeles Lakers, the possibility of a trade has become more and more likely in the eyes of the NBA community. But contrary to popular belief, James is content with the Lakers and would rather ride it out in Los Angeles than try his luck anywhere else.
“I would just say with LeBron [James],” said ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on the “Get Up!” morning show. “It’s up to him. He has a no-trade clause and he has given no indication he wants the Lakers to do anything but upgrade the roster they’ve got. Not that he wants to go anywhere.”
James has never formally requested a trade in his 20+ years in the NBA, but he’s never been afraid to change his situation when the going gets tough. The 39-year-old left the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010 to break the seal on a championship but he came back and rebuilt the organization when the Heat began to decline.
Then, just as the Cleveland Cavaliers began to fade from title contention, LeBron moved on to Los Angeles to pursue more success on the court and establish a media empire to support his post-retirement plans.
James led the Lakers to a championship in 2020 but things haven’t been so great since. This season, as the Lakers have struggled to keep up in the West, James’ loyalty has been tested to a whole new degree and some have called on him to force his way out of the franchise entirely. With just two a few years left in his career, LeBron is feeling more pressure than ever to ring chase and join whichever team gives him the best odds of winning one final championship.
But despite the relatively weak roster, LeBron’s loyalty still lies with the Lakers and he has no desire for a trade at the moment. At the very least, any deal for LeBron would also have to involve Bronny in order to keep the historic duo intact.
The dream scenario for LeBron (4x champion) would be the Lakers keeping him, Bronny, and Anthony Davis to build around them and add enough support to mount a title run. So far, the Lakers have been somewhat active in trade talks and it’s no secret that they are on the hunt for perimeter wing defenders, in particular.
If the Lakers can shore up their defense and increase their depth in the frontcourt, it will go a long way in raising their ceiling and helping them reach their maximum potential in the West.
With James still playing elite-level basketball (23.0 points, 9.1 assists, and 8.0 rebounds per game this season) he can lead the way on a playoff run but it’s up to the Lakers to get him the help he needs to get there.
With the Lakers officially eliminated from the Emirates NBA Cup, their next game isn’t until December 13th, at Target Center, against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It’s their last road game before heading back to the Crypto.com arena, where they’ll be for their showdown against the Memphis Grizzlies at 9:30 PM EST.
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