LeBron James' signing with the Los Angeles Lakers is finally official. According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, his new deal includes a 15 percent trade kicker.
This move isn't surprising. The trade kicker gives James a little more power if something wild happens and the Lakers ever consider trading him. That's highly unlikely, but the trade kicker is a nice little security blanket, nonetheless.
If James' camp wanted security against a trade, the obvious question is why wouldn't they ask for a no-trade clause in his contract? No-trade clauses are rare in the NBA and a sign-and-trade between Cleveland and Los Angeles would be the only way LeBron could have been eligible for one.
But this is more of a formality than anything else. James isn't going anywhere and this trade kicker will be forgotten eventually. Furthermore, James has a player option in the fourth year of his deal. If things have gone sour in Los Angeles by that point, he'll likely opt out and pursue a contract elsewhere.
But again, all of this is highly unlikely. It's clear that non-basketball factors played a huge role in LeBron's decision to sign with the Lakers. It's unlikely that anything basketball-related becomes a big enough deal that it leads to a trade.
Although, the NBA has a knack for surprising everyone. The drama never seems to end. It's highly unlikely that this trade kicker is anything more than a footnote, but regardless, it's there just in case.
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