LeBron James' agent shuts down talk of trade from Lakers: 'We aren't asking to be'
The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 8 and the Lakers are ninth in the West
LeBron James is staying with the Los Angeles Lakers, his agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN on Friday.
The Lakers are currently ninth in the Western Conference with a 25-25 record. With the NBA trade deadline coming up on Feb. 8, speculation was bubbling up that James, 39, could potentially be on the move.
KTLA reporter David Pingalore reported on Thursday that the Lakers had put feelers out to see if any teams were interested in trading for James. But Paul shut that talk down.
"LeBron won't be traded, and we aren't asking to be," he told Brian Windhorst.
It's been a trying season for James and the Lakers. Their record is what it is and the future of head coach Darvin Ham is a constant topic of conversation.
If James is staying, that means other changes could be coming over the next week. Following a second straight defeat on Wednesday, James posted an hourglass emoji on X, which likely meant that time is running out for Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to improve the current roster.
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— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 31, 2024
James has missed six games this season, including Thursday night's win over the Boston Celtics. But he's still averaging nearly 35 minutes a game and almost 25 points per night.
While James may be staying with the Lakers now, it remains to be seen what he plans to do in the summer. He has a $51.4 million player option for next season, but has said he would like to play with his son Bronny, who will likely enter the NBA next season following this June's draft.
James has until June 29 to exercise his option, just days after the 2024 NBA Draft where Bronny will likely be selected.