LeBron James not only exercised his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season with the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, but also cast doubt on whether he is completely sold on the direction of the team this offseason. James' agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN that they are evaluating his situation with his goal of competing for championship in mind.
"I felt they were clear as mud," said Brian Windhorst on ESPN Radio on Sunday. "I'm not really sure what they are trying to communicate. He has 100 percent full control of his situation. He had the option to become a free agent today, which he bypassed. He is one of two players in the league who has a no-trade clause—LeBron and Bradley Beal. When it comes to a trade, he has total control of whether he gets traded, what he gets traded for, etc.
"The Lakers really don't have any control. They can only receive his notification of the player option. And if he would like to be traded, he can communicate that. He hasn't done that. The ball is in LeBron's court.
"I'll just say this: in 2025, trading a player who makes $53 million as LeBron will next season is extremely complicated, especially if you're a contending team which is what he would probably want. I would say right now that's an interesting development, which I'm not sure will lead to any change."
If James were to request a trade, finding a workable one would be challenging for all parties to put together. It would likely require the participation of multiple teams.
"Trust me, I've spent a large part of the last 24 hours trying to figure out LeBron trades," said Windhorst. "And I don't really see any that are feasible and make a lot of sense. If this is a drip, drip to get to there, I'm not sure we're going to get there. I'm also not sure what sort of message he's sending Luka Doncic, his teammate, who they are planning on trying to compete. At least they were. For a run next year. And like I said, if his message to the Lakers is to improve the roster, he's been saying that for seven years.
"I'm not real sure about the strategy that is being employed here. I guess I will wait and watch and see what the next move is because I frankly do not think there's much of a next move for LeBron other than show up for training camp in the fall because I don't think the Lakers are interested in trading him."