Although the Los Angeles Lakers are on a five-game winning streak without Anthony Davis, LeBron James doesn’t seem that happy.
After a road loss to the Miami Heat in late December, he publicly voiced his frustration at playing on a non-contending team, and he showed his frustration again more recently in an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic.
James is under contract until at least the conclusion of next season. He can opt out in the summer of 2024. That may set up the opportunity for him to ask to be traded this offseason while having some sort of leverage.
Reportedly, teams around the league are getting ready for that possibility.
Via Heavy.com (h/t Lakers Daily):
“According to executives around the league, multiple teams are at least preparing for the possibility that James will seek to force a trade this summer as he, having just turned 38, looks to finish his career in a winning environment,” Sean Deveney wrote. “And unlike this past offseason, in which teams were blindsided by the trade demand lodged by star forward Kevin Durant on the eve of free agency, front offices around the NBA will be prepared for James’ potential move.”
Requesting a trade would likely hurt James’ image and make him even more polarizing among fans. However, he has made it clear that the only thing he feels he has to play for at this point of his career is another NBA championship.
[mm-video type=video id=01gmvhswvyz5868q8xc3 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gmvhswvyz5868q8xc3/01gmvhswvyz5868q8xc3-935f2f1f59013672fd5bca38eaf780b6.jpg]
[listicle id=88900]