Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been involved in various trade talks in his career, but none ever happened. Recently, discussion about his future with the Lakers emerged but The Athletic’s Jovan Buha confirmed that no trade will happen unless James asks for it.
On the new episode of Carmelo Anthony’s “7PM in Brooklyn,” the former lottery pick was asked an interesting question. Anthony was asked if there was a world where James could get traded anywhere.
“LeBron makes the trades,” Anthony said (14:12). “So, if he wanna get traded, he’ll get traded. … I think that window closed shut. It was a point in time — maybe last year or a little bit time ago — where it was, there was a thought, like, ‘Damn, this could be a possibility. … Are you interested?’ And it’s like, ‘Could y’all pull this off? See if y’all could pull this off.’”
Last season, James was part of a trade rumor that involved the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors wanted to pair the 6-foot-9 forward with Stephen Curry, in hopes of giving them a chance to contend for a championship.
Being one of the best stars in the league, James is one of two players who have a no-trade clause in their contracts.
LeBron James is an untouchable player for the Lakers
The Lakers want to improve their roster by either adding another star or strengthening their depth. Amid the talks about what the team has planned, Buha reportedly stated that Los Angeles has named LeBron James and Anthony Davis their untouchables.
“Two players who almost certainly won’t be traded, barring them asking out of Los Angeles, are Davis ($43.2 million) and James ($48.7 million),” wrote Buha. “Despite the recent groundswell from certain media and fans to blow up the roster, the Lakers are not currently considering trading either superstar, according to team and league sources. They want to bolster their supporting cast and continue building around Davis and James.”
New for @TheAthletic: Lakers trade season primer:
— Are the Lakers likely to make a move?
— Who are realistic player archetypes and trade targets?
— Are any players untouchable?
— What will teams want from the Lakers?That and more in here: https://t.co/5JCZZx9HSo
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) December 17, 2024
The Lakers are expected to make noise in the trade market this season.
“The Lakers have three first-round picks they can trade individually: 2029, 2030, or 2031… The Lakers will likely offer a pick swap or second(s) in place of one of their picks in negotiations. Rival teams will surely ask for Knecht and Christie, but again, those are two players the Lakers will prioritize keeping. Teams will also likely sniff around on James and Davis, seeing if they can try to pry them away from Los Angeles with an enticing offer of picks and young talent.”
There have been a few players linked to the Lakers but the team has not yet made moves on who they’ll trade for.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
