LeBron James has not asked for a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers, Rich Paul told Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“Paul made it clear to me that LeBron has not asked for a trade, and Paul has not even discussed the possibility of wanting a trade in the future with the Lakers,” reported McMenamin from Summer League.
Speculation has increased over James’ future with the Lakers after he picked up his $52.6 million player option last month.
It has been reported that next season appears to be James’ last season with the Lakers, with the franchise focused on building around Luka Doncic.
Paul said in a statement earlier this month that James “wants to make every season he has left count.”
Four teams reportedly contacted Paul about a potential trade for James, added McMenamin.
Paul added that James never asked the Lakers for a longer contract before deciding to opt in.
“Some have posited that the true cause of this situation is the Lakers not offering LeBron a contract beyond next season, but Rich Paul told me they never asked for one,” said McMenamin.
McMenamin added that things are “business as usual” for the Lakers, with motivation to compete at the highest level while maximizing both James’ and Doncic’s timelines.
