It was reported by ESPN ahead of last season’s NBA trade deadline that the Golden State Warriors had contacted the Los Angeles Lakers about the possibility of a LeBron James trade.
There were different reported reasons as to why such a deal never got far, with one being James himself not wanting to leave the Lakers.
A new report from NBA insider Marc Stein via his Substack revealed that James’ agent Rich Paul shut down any idea of a Warriors trade.
“It is believed that the Lakers would have reluctantly entertained trade conversations with the Warriors before last February’s trade deadline if James wanted them to seriously engage Golden State on a potential deal,” Stein wrote.
“Yet league sources say that the reported talks between the teams at the time never got that far in large part because James’ agent Rich Paul was adamantly opposed to the idea of James swapping Southern California for Northern California.”
The most likely Los Angeles Lakers player to be traded is the individual who’s already being shopped around the NBA: D’Angelo Russell.
The 28-year-old is one of the most productive point guards in the Association, but his postseason shortcomings have spawned a reported desire to move on.
With an expiring contract that will become more attractive to teams closer to the trade deadline, Russell is all but guaranteed to be traded during or before the 2024-25 season.
