For the first time in his long, illustrious NBA career, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James may be involved in a trade.

James, 40, picked up a player option that guarantees him $52.6 million next season. But it crucially does not guarantee that he will be a part of the Lakers by the time training camp starts in the fall.

It always seemed likely James would either pick up his option or decline it to sign another short-term deal with the Lakers as he closes in on the end of his career. However, after James exercised the option, his agent and close friend, Rich Paul, spoke to ESPN and hinted at the potential of James being traded this offseason.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul said. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we've had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.

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“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him.”

Although Paul's comments do not ensure James will request a trade, it does seemingly open the proverbial door a little wider than it was previously. And if James does indeed want out of L.A., he will get to decide on how that all works out.

The reason for that is because James has a no-trade clause. He is one of the very few players in NBA history to have a no-trade clause. In fact, only 10 players have ever had a no-trade clause in the NBA, and currently, James and Bradley Beal are the only players with one written into their contracts.

NTCs are rare, mainly for two reasons: teams avoid them at all costs because they very much enjoy the ability to freely trade players when they want; and the criteria players have to meet to be eligible for an NTC is also very prohibitive. But since James already has one — he negotiated it as part of his two-year deal last offseason — he now controls his own destiny more than any player other than Beal. With the NTC, the Lakers cannot trade him under any circumstances unless he agrees, giving him the ability to veto any trade that involves him, in effect ensuring he gets to decide to and for whom he is traded.

Still, James and Paul may ultimately decide not to push the issue and remain with the Lakers throughout the offseason and James' record-breaking 23rd NBA season.