LeBron James' agent refutes trade speculation

LeBron James' agent says trade rumors regarding the Los Angeles Lakers superstar are untrue.

"LeBron won't be traded, and we aren't asking to be," Rich Paul told ESPN on Friday.

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday.

James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, may have helped to fuel the trade speculation by posting an hourglass emoji on his X account following Tuesday's 138-122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

James, who sat out Thursday's 114-105 road win against the Boston Celtics due to a left ankle injury, has not spoken to reporters to clarify his post on X.

James, 39, is averaging 24.9 points, 7.7 assists and 7.5 rebounds in 44 starts this season. He was named to his 20th consecutive NBA All-Star Game.

He has a $51.4 million player option on his contract with the Lakers for the 2024-25 season. He has until June 29 to exercise the option.

The Lakers enter play Friday with a .500 record, 10 games back of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference. They sit in ninth place, a play-in tournament position.