The idea of LeBron James leaving the Los Angeles Lakers was been floating in and out of people's mouths in the days leading up to free agency. What felt like a silly conversation at first is starting to look more plausible after the start to the frenzy of players switching homes this summer.
When the Lakers lost Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets and replaced him with Jake LaRavia, Dave McMenamin noted that Rob Pelinka and the front office had a future with Luka Doncic in mind. The move prioritized a forward-thinking approach.
McMenamin wrote, "Though Finney-Smith was a popular locker room figure, ... L.A. exercised discipline in its negotiations to preserve cap space for 2027, when the team expects to have space to sign a max-salary free agent."
"[Rich Paul] told me that he has not had any discussion with the Lakers about wanting a trade."@mcten shares that Rich Paul has not had any "substantiative" conversations with any teams about trading LeBron James. pic.twitter.com/XpnpPVFnQq
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 30, 2025
The ESPN reporter also appeared on everyone's television sets and social media last night to offer more insight into the situation. McMenamin noted the conversation of trading James has not taken place with the Lakers, despite several teams reaching out to Rich Paul, his agent, about the idea.
The nugget worth paying attention to in the video above is McMenamin mentioning how Paul and his client will be monitoring whether a 'championship-caliber' roster emerges. In the situation that it does not, things will certainly get interesting in Los Angeles.
James' potential exit would be an extremely calculated move
Some may be wondering why James even opted into his contract if the four-time champion had thoughts of relocating elsewhere. That much is simple to answer. No one had financial flexibility this offseason.
Apart from the Brooklyn Nets, most teams did not enter this free agency with max money to throw around. Picking up his player option ensured a guaranteed pay day for James while still allowing him to control his future.
The no-trade clause on LeBron's current contract still effectively allows him to control his next destination, if the desire to leave Los Angeles grows. It has the bonus effect of allowing James to not leave the Lakers without offering them compensation for their troubles.
It does not take a lot of brain power to ponder which teams could be in on the four-time Finals MVP if a departure was imminent. The Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, and as odd as it would be, the Dallas Mavericks could all be potential trade suitors worth monitoring.
It continues to be abundantly clear that James is no longer the main priority for the Lakers, Doncic is. If long-term stability around the superstar point guard continues to be favored over a win-now approach with Luka and LeBron, the latter could certainly spice up this offseason with a historic trade request.