21-time All-NBA Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James has been linked to a potential Dallas Mavericks reunion with nine-time All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving for years now.
Will his latest contract decision impact a deal?
The 40-year-old, who's been the league's oldest active player for two years running, surprisingly picked up his $52.7 million player option for the 2025-26 NBA season. That decision, however, came along with a strong statement from his agent, Rich Paul, to ESPN's Shams Charania.
"LeBron wants to compete for a championship," Paul said. "He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we've had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career."
The Lakers flipped a package headlined by 10-time All-Star center Anthony Davis, shooting guard Max Christie and a single first round pick for five-time All-NBA guard Luka Doncic (six years Davis' junior) and big men Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. Both teams flipped second round picks to the Utah Jazz so that the Lakers could ditch point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino in the deal.
Without a starting-caliber center on the roster, Los Angeles flipped rookie guard Dalton Knecht and another first to the Charlotte Hornets for rim-rolling five Mark Williams. When Williams failed his physical after the trade deadline, L.A. voided the deal, leaving the club's center rotation decimated heading into the playoffs.
As of now, the Lakers have yet to address that issue in free agency or the draft, although the team did bring in free agent power forward Jake LaRavia to add shooting to its front court.
"We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future," Paul added. "We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him."
During a Monday appearance on NBA TV, longtime league insider Chris Haynes reported that Paul had offered some clarity on the status of a potential trade out of Tinseltown.
"There has been no trade talk, there has been no extension talk."@ChrisBHaynes reports on his recent call with Rich Paul and rumors around LeBron's future in Los Angeles 🫣 pic.twitter.com/GmyQf8xkXW
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 30, 2025
"Rich Paul told me there has been no trade discussions, there have been no trade talks with the Lakers, people have been speculating on certain teams that he might be interested in," Haynes said. "I'm told that all that talk is false. There has been no extension talk."
Last year on the 50-32 Lakers, the four-time MVP averaged 24.4 points on .513/.376/.782 shooting splits, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds a night in 70 games.