LeBron James ‘Will Never’ Play For Clippers

LeBron James “will never” play for the Los Angeles Clippers, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. 

Some people believe James could request a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason. Since the NBA legend has a no-trade clause and loves living in Los Angeles, the Clippers seem like a great landing spot for James. 

However, James teaming up with Kawhi Leonard and James Harden won’t happen. 

The Lakers and Clippers lost in the first round of the 2025 playoffs. The Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, while the Clippers lost to the Denver Nuggets in seven games. 

James, 40, is the oldest active player in the league. He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks for the Lakers last season in 70 games. 

A future Hall of Famer, James averaged 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks against the Timberwolves in the playoffs. 

After James picked up his 2025-26 player option with the Lakers, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group issued a statement to Shams Charania of ESPN. The statement has led many to believe that James is open to leaving the purple and gold. 

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul said. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.

“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”

James joined the Lakers in the summer of 2018. Los Angeles missed the playoffs in 2019, won the championship in 2020, lost in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, missed the playoffs in 2022, lost in the conference finals in 2023 and lost in the first round of the 2024 and 2025 playoffs. 

The Clippers have never been to the NBA Finals. They would be a title contender with James, Leonard and Harden, but it doesn’t look like James will reunite with Tyronn Lue.