Why LeBron James 'can't be traded' from Lakers, according to Rich Paul

Richard Pereira

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Why LeBron James 'can't be traded' from Lakers, according to Rich Paul image

May 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Savannah James, LeBron James and Rich Paul sit in the front in the fourth quarter of game four of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images

LeBron James has been with the Los Angeles Lakers since 2018, keeping them relevant in the headlines amid multiple years of playoff contention.

Even though Los Angeles is progressing with a transition of Luka Doncic, James' agent Rich Paul shut down the idea of the veteran superstar accepting a potential trade.

Rich Paul's stance on potential LeBron James trade

James is going through Year 23 of his NBA career, a league record. It marks his eighth with the Lakers as he continues to help the franchise make a case as a title contender throughout the 2025-26 campaign.

Paul has represented James as his agent since 2012, assisting him in making the biggest decisions of his career. He recently appeared on the Fat Joe and Jada podcast on Jan. 6, discussing multiple topics throughout the NBA. One of them involved the scenario of James departing via trade, something that the longtime agent shut down due to the star's own stance.

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“He can’t be traded unless he wants to be traded. Even with that being said it takes two to tango in a trade. When you hear all these people say ‘oh you have to take a back seat and fit in.’ If you want to break it down, you can take all 4 positions and name your top 5 he’s in one of your top 5 in all 5 positions outside of center,” Paul said.

It's clear that Paul will continue to represent James' best interests. Staying with the Lakers, especially as he goes through the final year of his contract before entering the 2026 offseason as an unrestricted free agent, will pave the way for Paul to have a major role in negotiations.

Regardless of what happens in the near future for James, he will have the best representation by his side with Paul helping him along the way.

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