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Editor’s note: This is the Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, edition of the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Khobi Price. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.
SALT LAKE CITY — LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group, went on the record with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst to make it clear that his client was going to remain with the Lakers through last Thursday’s trade deadline and that they weren’t seeking a trade.
But that didn’t stop a couple of teams from reaching out to see whether they could pry the 20-time All-Star out of Los Angeles.
Golden State Warriors governor Joe Lacob, with the encouragement of Warriors forward Draymond Green, who is also one of Paul’s clients, reached out to the Lakers about acquiring James, according to a Wednesday morning report from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski that cited unnamed sources.
Lakers governor Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka both made it clear that the Lakers want to keep the 39-year-old James and had no desire to trade him, but Buss told Lacob to reach out to Paul for clarity on James’ desires, the report states.
The most encouraging part of the report, at least from the Lakers’ standpoint, is that not only did Paul tell Lacob and Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. that James didn’t have any interest in a trade and wanted to remain a Laker, but James is also focused on returning to the Lakers in the offseason.
This saga began after James’ apparent expressions of discontentment, with James cryptically posting an hourglass emoji on X (formerly known as Twitter) after the Lakers’ 138-122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 30, which put the Lakers at 24-25 on the season.
He declined to clarify the meaning behind the post during his first media availability with reporters ahead of the Lakers’ Feb. 3 victory over the New York Knicks. Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey called Pelinka to inquire about a potential James trade after the post but was told that James wasn’t available, according to ESPN’s report.
James, who has a $51.4 million player option with the Lakers for the 2024-25 season, also responded “no” when asked if he has thought about his player-option decision.
So if there was a time to probe about James’ availability, with the four-time NBA MVP having the option to potentially leave the Lakers this upcoming offseason, it would have been ahead of the trade deadline.
But for now, James appears to be committed to the Lakers. ESPN reported that if James returns to the Lakers, he’ll likely decline his option and re-sign on a new deal that would “allow him an annual raise.”
Of course, this could always change.
And if things change, the Warriors and 76ers – and likely a plethora of other teams – will be calling again to see where James stands.
The Lakers are 29-26, in ninth place in the Western Conference, after Tuesday’s 125-111 home win against the Detroit Pistons – their fifth victory in their last six games – entering Wednesday’s road matchup against the Utah Jazz.
Editor’s note: Thanks for reading the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Khobi Price. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.
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