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Will LeBron James actually get traded in year 22?
On the December 10 episode of ESPN’s First Take, Kendrick Perkins — a former teammate of James on the Cavaliers — reported that the Lakers would “entertain” the idea of trading the superstar if he asked out ahead of the February 6 trade deadline.
“My sources tell me that if LeBron James at any point comes out and says that he wants to be traded or he wants to entertain it, they’re going to entertain it,” Perkins said. “It ain’t no holding him back.”
“Last year, Rick Paul stopped it [a trade to the Warriors]… When Golden State called asking about LeBron, Rich Paul, his agent, silenced all that. But if LeBron and Lakers get to this conversation again, I’m hearing Rich Paul ain’t getting in the way.”
As Perkins alluded to, the Warriors pursued a trade for James ahead of the 2024 trade deadline. At the time, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported that Warriors star Draymond Green urged Golden State governor Joe Lacob to contact Jeanie Buss to inquire about James’ availability.
Warriors Could Revist LeBron James Trade
“Buss told Lacob the Lakers had no desire to trade James, but that he would need to seek the answer on James’ state of mind from his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, sources said,” the ESPN article read. “In the end, the answer was returned resoundingly on the eve of the trade deadline: Paul told Lacob and Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr., that James had no interest in a trade and wanted to remain a Laker, sources said.”
A lot has changed since the February 2024 trade deadline. Teams such as the Thunder, Mavericks and Rockets have turned into legitimate powerhouses in the West, and the Grizzlies are whole and healthy again. Few expect either the Lakers or the Warriors to contend for the 2025 NBA title. As such, the idea of the Warriors revisiting a trade for James can’t be ruled out, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“I would be lying if I said that there haven’t been some conversations in the league, ‘Would LeBron at some point this year revisit that [Warriors trade]?’” Windhorst said on The “Hoops Collective Podcast” on December 9.
It should be noted that James has a no-trade clause and a player option for the 2025-26 season. As such, he very much controls his future.
Warriors Seeking Second Superstar
Be it James, Jimmy Butler or Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Warriors are eager to add a co-star to give Stephen Curry a shot at winning a fifth NBA championship.
On December 10, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Warriors are solely focused on adding a second star ahead of the February 6 deadline.
“Sources said the Warriors are looking to add a star player — a playmaker, scorer — alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Golden State pursued Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen and Paul George as a free agent last offseason, and is expected to remain aggressive this deadline.”
“A telltale moment happened for the Warriors on Friday night, when Curry, Green and coach Steve Kerr spoke about this being fourth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga’s time to take the mantle and Green accepted a bench role for Kuminga to start at power forward.”
As Charania noted, the Warriors refused to part with Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski in deals for All-Stars during the 2024 offseason. However, their stance on at least Podz could change in a potential deal for a star.
