LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers has yet to ask for a trade, but he has inadvertently fueled some of these rumors with his comments. After James had his agent and long-time friend, Rich Paul, make telling comments to ESPN and The Athletic about the Lakers' current situation, some have speculated whether he could be dealt or if he's quietly asking for a trade.
If James gets moved, the Dallas Mavericks would likely be one of his top landing spots.
When discussing the situation once again, Paul recently shared what he's looking for in the future. He later added that it’s up to the media to decide how to interpret his comments, and that his focus is on enjoying the summer for himself and James.
“There’s so many voices in today’s game and around today’s game and media and things like that, and everyone has a job to do. For us, hey, let those people do their job. It’s not for us to rebuttal or to try to give clarity on what’s said, what’s not said, that’s not the focus…The focus is, hey, man, enjoy your summer…”
“So that’s my focus. You can’t dispel everything someone has to say, and you’ve been around this thing a long time. There’s never been an expectation on anyone like it’s been on him, but my thing is just continue to find your joy,” Paul said, per Sirius XM NBA Radio.
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Now, Paul can make these comments and suggest that he didn't attempt to do anything with his comments to ESPN and The Athletic, but he and James have been involved in this game for a very long time.
They know exactly what they were doing, and whether that was a cry for help to get out of Los Angeles or a way for the front office to make a move will only remain to be seen.