4 Teams Trying to Trade for LeBron James, Per Latest Report

LeBron James exercised his $52.6 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2025-26 season on Sunday.

In the nine contracts James has signed throughout his career, eight have included player options. This was the first time James has chosen to exercise the option rather than opt to sign a new contract, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

More news: Lakers Insider Reveals One Player is Team's 'Top Priority' in Free Agency

James has not officially requested a trade from the Lakers. But four unnamed NBA teams are reportedly interested in trading for the 20-time NBA All-Star.

“LeBron hasn’t had any discussions with the Lakers about wanting a trade,” Dave McMenamin of ESPN said. “Rich Paul said four teams contacted him in the last 24 hours wanting to talk trades, but there weren’t any substantive conversations with those teams.”

At 40 years old, James is heading toward the end of a decorated career. He's won an NBA championship for all three times he's been on and has four NBA Most Valuable Player awards.

But James wants a fifth ring, and the Lakers have struggled to make it deep into the playoffs since winning the title in 2020.

Los Angeles has either lost in the Western Conference first round or missed the playoffs entirely in four of the last five seasons. Therefore, whether James finishes his career with the Lakers depends on how productive Los Angeles’ front office is this offseason.

“Right now, LeBron is focused on playing on a championship-caliber roster. Rich told me, ‘There are no guarantees in building one, but we know what it looks like and what it doesn’t look like,” McMenamin said. 

The Lakers are reportedly prioritizing their future rather than focusing on winning a championship next season. Additionally, it seems the Lakers’ plans are centered around 26-year-old point guard Luka Doncic.