Over the past couple of weeks, there have been rumblings that LeBron James may request the Los Angeles Lakers trade him this summer.
He has made it clear more than once that he is frustrated the Lakers aren’t a championship contender, and he has implied he wants them to trade draft capital to improve the roster right now.
However, Lakers fans who want James to stick around may not need to worry too much. NBA reporter Zach Lowe said on his recent podcast that he thinks James will spend the rest of his career with the Purple and Gold.
Via Lakers Daily:
“I keep hearing he wants to stay with the Lakers,” Lowe said. “He wants to finish his career with the Lakers. His comments though should be interpreted as his patience is not infinite and if this is just a continued morass of losing, maybe that changes. But if you force me to bet, I’d still bet on him finishing his career with the Lakers. And I’d feel pretty confident in that.”
James is under contract for two more seasons; the 2024-25 campaign is a player option year. Many have speculated that he joined the Lakers in the first place at least partly because of the off-the-court opportunities L.A. has available to him, such as acting and business.
But he has also made it clear that at this point in his career, he is only playing for championships.
So far this season, James is still putting up elite numbers at age 38, as he’s averaging 29.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.
