Despite constant rumors, the Los Angeles Lakers have not made any blockbuster trades this summer. This could all change, though, now that LeBron James has signed a two-year extension with the team worth a whopping $97.1 million.

What's the correlation? Well, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein (paywalled), the Lakers have made certain assurances to LeBron with regard to their willingness to part ways with their coveted first-round picks:

L.A. has nonetheless pledged to James that it will indeed continue to aggressively pursue upgrades. League sources say James, in fact, has been assured that the Lakers are willing to trade both of their available future first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 if a trade that costs them both picks can realistically position the Lakers to return to contender status.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Ot0D0tHM49p8zV7PPjmUp?si=8d77eb1949ba4e25

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The first name that comes to mind here is Kyrie Irving. Stein also reported that the Lakers are now willing to include these aforementioned draft picks along with Russell Westbrook to the Brooklyn Nets in a potential trade deal for Kyrie.

Despite all the drama that he's brought about, there's no denying that Irving still remains to be one of the top point guards in the game today. This is exactly why LeBron wants to reunite with his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate with his sights set on championship No. 5.

At this point in his career, LeBron James has earned the right to make certain demands from his team. It now seems as though these “assurances” are part of what he asked for from the Lakers before he put his signature on the dotted line.