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Lakers' LeBron James Reportedly Not Attracting Much Trade Market Buzz

Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) controls the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) controls the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James could potentially be on the move during the offseason, though reports say there is minimal interest in him in the NBA.

Before the start of free agency, James opted into the final year of his contract. He is earning more than $50 million in the upcoming season.

While many expected James to stay with the Lakers, his agent, Rich Paul, sent out a statement that has cast doubt on his future with Los Angeles.

Paul alluded to the Lakers "building for the future," but added that James is prioritizing winning at this final act in his career.

While the Lakers do have a younger franchise cornerstone in Luka Doncic, the team is hardly building for the future.

Los Angeles is targeting a new center and attempting to retool the roster for another title run in the upcoming season.

Many expected James to retire as a Laker, considering that the team rostered his son and the All-Time talent lives in Los Angeles.

Since releasing this statement, rumors around the league begun to swirl and NBA fans began speculating what a James trade would look like.

Bobby Marks of ESPN reports that the trade market for James is not robust and teams are lacking interest in the 40-year-old player:

"And I talked to numerous teams yesterday and asked that same question, would you give up basically the farm, basically you'd have to give up four or five players to go get LeBron James for one year? And the unanimous answer was no, they wouldn't," Marks said on Get Up.

"Now, the stakes change a lot if LeBron James ever became a free agent and did some type of buyout in Los Angeles.

"There, you would have 29 teams lined up for him. But from a trade perspective, and here's a hypothetical.

"His former team the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are in the second apron and have spent a lot of money, they would basically have to trade about six players just to get out and get him for one year. And as one team told me, 'That's not smart business.'"

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For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.


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Nelson Espinal
NELSON ESPINAL

Nelson Espinal lives and breathes sports. Avidly following of everything ranging from motorsports to Mixed Martial Arts to tennis, he is connected with most of the sports world at all times. His dream of writing about sports started at 16 years of age, writing for a Lakers fans blog, and his passions for sports writing has grown since. He has his Bachelor's degree in Political Science, and a minor in writing literature from the University of California, San Diego.

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