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LeBron James exercised his player option, which, on the surface, would appear to be good news for the Los Angeles Lakers. However, Rich Paul's subsequent comments to the media changed the tone of the move.
Upon James picking up the option, which is worth $52.6 million, Paul seemingly indicated to ESPN's Shams Charania that James is open to being traded for the first time in his career.
“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.”
On one hand, everything Paul said is true; the Lakers are building for the future, evidenced by their relatively unwillingness to part with future draft picks to support James and the current Lakers roster. Additionally, the Lakers, while a strong regular-season team, did not even come close to winning a first-round series this year, let alone a championship. For those reasons, it would make sense for James, who will turn 41 next season and become the first player in NBA history to play a 23rd season, to give himself the best chance possible at winning the fifth title of his career.
On the other hand, James and Paul have been known to use public comments to apply pressure to front offices they feel are not proactive enough. They notably did this during James' second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, during which time James was a free agent thrice in a four-year period. They have continued the tactic with the Lakers, who traded many of their young players in 2019 in order to acquire Anthony Davis, not only an All-Star, but also a friend of James' and a client of Paul's. L.A. also notably selected James' eldest son, Bronny James, in the second round of last year's draft despite concerns about his viability as a pro.
If James is serious about finding a new home for potentially his final NBA season, he will have considerable leverage with a no-trade clause that effectively gives him complete veto authority over any trade involving him. There will be relatively few options for James, though, because he will make nearly $53 million and many of the teams likely most interested in adding him are or soon will be hamstrung by cap constraints.
