LeBron James staying with Lakers despite trade rumours: Report

9 hours ago 5

ARTICLE AD BOX

The 40-year-old All-Star volition study to Los Angeles Lakers’ grooming campy this preseason amid NBA commercialized rumours.

Published On 16 Jul 2025

Despite an disconnected play of rumours and speculation, LeBron James is expected to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers successful the 2025-26 hoops season, The Athletic has reported.

The Lakers and James person not engaged successful talks astir a commercialized oregon buyout, and the NBA’s all-time starring scorer is expected to study to campy with the Lakers this autumn, per the study published connected Wednesday. There haven’t been immoderate signs, either, that James wants out.

James picked up his $52.6m enactment past period to instrumentality for an eighth play with the Lakers.

He volition beryllium returning to a squad this clip astir connected which, for the archetypal clip successful his career, helium is the 2nd option. Luka Doncic, acquired successful a stunning commercialized from the Dallas Mavericks successful February, is expected to beryllium the centrepiece for Los Angeles successful the upcoming season.

Apparently fuelling the commercialized oregon buyout rumours is simply a connection made by James’s longtime agent, Rich Paul, past period that included this line, “We bash privation to measure what’s champion for LeBron astatine this signifier successful his beingness and career.”

Trading James, fixed his salary, would beryllium hard since NBA trades indispensable beryllium for players with contracts of akin worth owed to the wage cap.

The Lakers, according to The Athletic, besides are reluctant to instrumentality connected a subordinate earning successful the $50m scope if helium has further years connected the contract. The Lakers volition beryllium escaped of James’s $52.6m subordinate enactment erstwhile his declaration expires astatine the extremity of the upcoming season.

James, 40, is entering his record-setting 23rd NBA season. He has played successful 1,562 regular-season games and is 50 shy of breaking Hall of Fame subordinate Robert Parish’s NBA record.

James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists successful 70 games successful 2024-25 to fertile successful the apical 22 successful each category. The Lakers guardant besides finished sixth successful astir invaluable subordinate (MVP) voting.

He is simply a 21-time All-Star, four-time league MVP and four-time NBA champion. He has scored a grounds 42,184 regular-season points, and 50,473 successful the regular play and playoffs combined.

James entered the NBA arsenic an 18-year-old aft being selected fig 1 successful the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He turns 41 successful December.