The NBA has already seen plenty of action through the early portion of this offseason, but ESPN’s Shams Charania says communications between the Los Angeles Lakers and superstar LeBron James have been almost non-existent.
With free agency officially beginning on Tuesday, Charania said on “NBA Today” on Thursday that the Lakers still haven’t come to James with a preemptive contract offer.
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“There was a check-in call made, to my understanding, early in free agency once teams were able to start negotiating with their own free agents,” he said. “Since then, there hasn’t been much communication, from my understanding, between the Lakers and LeBron James’ side and certainly not an offer yet.”
Friday afternoon, Charania reiterated this point.
James is coming off a historic 23rd NBA season and led the Lakers to a first-round victory over the Houston Rockets while both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were sidelined with injuries.
Charania’s comments only fuel the fire of the rumors surrounding James’ future, as he is now an unrestricted free agent for the first time since 2018.
Over the last two weeks, he also went on a reunion trip with a number of his former teammates from the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers championship team.
In fairness, James already publicly stated that he isn’t rushing to make a decision. But the likelihood that he leaves the Lakers seems to be at an all-time high.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
