LeBron James won’t be leaving the Lakers before the trade deadline, according to his agent, Rich Paul. As the Lakers try to improve its roster to better contend for a postseason spot, LeBron won’t be included in those trade scenarios.
“LeBron won’t be traded, and we aren’t asking to be,” Paul said via ESPN.
The response from Paul comes after there was social media speculation on Thursday that the Lakers could be considering moving James. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer also posted a cryptic message on social media of an hourglass emoji, leading many to wonder what he could be talking about. However, it doesn’t appear like LeBron will be going anywhere before the trade deadline next Thursday (Feb. 8).
Trading LeBron would be a shocking move for the Lakers, who have been active in trade talks regarding other players on their roster, namely D’Angelo Russell. James is owed $47.6 million this season, so any team trading for him would have to match the hefty salary they’d be taking on. James also has a $51.4 million player option this summer which he could decline to become an unrestricted free agent.
We’ll continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
