LeBron James has a player option still to officially decide on in his Los Angeles Lakers contract.
Some have wondered whether there’s any scenario where James ends up traded even after opting in to that deal.
The answer is an emphatic no.
Lakers beat writer Jovan Buha declared both James and Luka Doncic “untouchable.”
It certainly makes sense that the King wouldn’t actually be on the trade block. At this point in the 40-year old’s career, he pretty much can determine his own fate.
His chances of winning a championship could be impacted by the implication in Buva’s word choice, though — everyone but LeBron and Luka is, by process of elimination, available.
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The Lakers could choose to pursue a starting center by dealing the likes of Austin Reaves and/or Dalton Knecht.
Could they trade Bronny James? Technically it seems that way, but there’d almost certainly have to be a LeBron-sized stamp of approval on such a move.
Mostly, this report from Buva confirms what we already would’ve figured, that James isn’t going anywhere new unless he wants to.
The only suspense awaiting James this offseason is that official player option decision.