Why Brian Windhorst is Warming Up to the Possibility of a LeBron James Trade

Windy says the Lakers are looking at Bron as an 'expiring contract.'

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James on Apr 27, 2025. / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Basketball superstar LeBron James is playing for another year after picking up his player option with the Los Angeles Lakers—this much we know for sure. But the fact that he did not extend his contract further than that has raised eyebrows around the league.

To that end, the discussion has erred toward the idea that James and/or the Lakers could be leaving room for a trade, as far-fetched as that might sound for a player of Bron's caliber.

Even ESPN's Brian Windhorst didn't think it a possibility ... at least until Wednesday morning, when he conceded that it could actually happen, contrary to his initial thought.

Speaking on First Take, Windhorst said he initially "slammed the door" on the idea of trade, but has "unlocked the door" as of late.

"And that is because my conversations over the last three days have crystallized that the Lakers are essentially viewing LeBron a an expiring contract," he said. "And that might sound like a toss-off statement, but that's not insignificant.

"The Lakers and LeBron did not have substantive discussions about extending his contract, which every team LeBron's been on for 20-something years has wanted to have substantive conversations about extending his contract," Windy continued. "And what happens to expiring contracts in the NBA? They're viewed as trade pieces."

So even though things like "the money, the fact that LeBron and Luka are still a very formidable duo, the fact that the Lakers are not done with their offseason, the fact that trading him is crazy, the fact that this is being built around Luka and they've gotta maintain their cap sheet" all support the idea that a swap is out of the question, "I'm just unlocking the door," Windhorst said. "Because I'm not as convinced as before of [a trade's] impossibility."

Watch those comments below:

The Lakers are essentially viewing LeBron James as an expiring contract, per @WindhorstESPN

(🎥 @FirstTake / h/t @ClutchPoints )

pic.twitter.com/EzDPSps6ou

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 2, 2025

Important to note in all of this, however, is that James is one of two players in the NBA to have a no-trade clause. Meaning that even if he were to be on the trade block, he'd have to approve of any dealing he's a part of. But perhaps that's what he wants; perhaps that's why he decided not to sign a two-year contract and instead let his current offer run its course. Or, maybe he'd like to become a free agent after this upcoming season, when it could be a lot easier for another team to bring him aboard without sacrificing all of its strongest players in a swap.

It's a curious situation, and one in which James has made clear he is "closely monitoring" the Lakers' offseason moves in his quest to compete for a fifth title, per ESPN's Shams Charania. And as the days progress, it would seem Windy is growing more and more convinced that a blockbuster deal could actually happen.

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