LeBron James does not want to be traded from the Los Angeles Lakers … or so says his camp.
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ESPN’s Dave McMenamin spoke with LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, who stated that LeBron has not requested a trade.
“I checked in with both the Lakers and LeBron’s camp on this one. For the Lakers, it’s business as usual,” McMenamin said. “They have the motivation to compete at the highest level and maximize not just LeBron’s timeline, but they want to compete now with Luka Doncic’s.
“Some are positive that the true cause of the situation was the Lakers not offering LeBron a contract beyond next season, but Rich Paul also clarified that LeBron has not requested a trade, and hasn’t even brought up the possibility of one in future discussions with the Lakers.
“Paul did tell me that four teams contacted him interested in trading for LeBron, though. So now we wait. The Lakers have a full roster and have a decision to make on Shake Milton’s contract by July 20th.
“They also have three expiring contracts in Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and Maxi Kleber, plus their 2031 first-round draft pick they can use in trade scenarios.”
McMenamin even had a chance to speak to LeBron. However, the four-time NBA champion had nothing to say.
“Now, I asked LeBron before tip-off if he’d like to join the broadcast to discuss everything, and he told me, quote, ‘I got nothing to talk about’,” McMenamin said.
With LeBron James at the Lakers game tonight, I asked him if he would like to speak to me about his future with the franchise. “I ain’t got nothing to talk about,” he said. My report for ESPN from Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/sFRgCYHmqw
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 13, 2025
It still remains to be seen if LeBron will either start or finish the season off as a Laker. All signs point to a divorce, even if LeBron’s camp denies that he wants out.
Ultimately, the decision lies with the Lakers’ front office, and it appears as if they are ready to move on.
