The Los Angeles Lakers would need LeBron James’ approval to trade him this week, and they almost surely will not get it.
James, 40, has a no-trade clause in the two-year, $101.4 million contract he signed with the Lakers last summer and does not intend to waive it in the aftermath of the Lakers’ blockbuster trading of his close friend and longtime teammate Anthony Davis, a league source familiar with James’ thinking told The Athletic on Sunday.
The Lakers shocked the sporting world by acquiring megastar Luka Dončić, at age 25, for Davis, who is a 10-time All-Star but is 31, along with Max Christie and a first-round pick. James was informed of the trade by his agent Rich Paul, who also represents Davis, while at dinner with his family in New York after recording a triple-double in a win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Though James was surprised by the news and is close personally with Davis, who joined the Lakers for the 2019-20 season and helped James and the team to a championship that season, he understood the “business decision” made by the Lakers and is, of course, open to playing with Dončić, a scoring machine and constant triple-double threat.
James is in his 22nd season and is considering retirement within the next few years. He has a $52.7-million player option for next season, and while he’s not expected to opt out of it (or, for that matter, ask for a trade) because of his son Bronny’s presence on the Lakers’ team, his future in L.A. (and the NBA) is therefore limited — which is why he understands the Lakers’ move to acquire a player like Dončić.
Full coverage of the Dončić-Davis blockbuster
James was said to be more concerned with Davis’ emotions following the trade than anything. After the Lakers’ win Saturday, in which Davis was absent because of an abdominal strain, the team is 28-19 and just one game out of fourth in the West. Las Vegas oddsmakers now have the Lakers as the fourth-most likely team to win an NBA championship, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Everyone is good,” said the league source, referring to James and Davis. “It’s business.”
This is not the first time a close friend to LeBron has been traded off of his team. At the trade deadline in 2018, the Cavs traded Dwyane Wade back to the Miami Heat as part of a massive shakeup in Cleveland. The team traded nearly half its roster at the deadline and wound up back in the finals.
As for the Lakers’ near future, acquiring Dončić gives L.A. one of the most unusual and potentially devastating offensive duos in NBA history, even at James’ advanced age.
With career averages of 28.6 points, 8.7 boards and 8.3 assists, Dončić is often compared to James for how they both control multiple facets of any game. James can play off the ball even more than he already has this season, and he has the size to play center in a small-ball lineup or otherwise serve as a forward while Dončić runs the offense. The same is true of Dončić if the ball is in James’ hands.
James is averaging 24 points (the second-lowest scoring average of his storied career), 9.1 assists and 7.6 rebounds this season. He will start the All-Star Game for a record 21st consecutive season. If he were to be traded, not only would he have to grant his approval, but the team that acquires him would also have to pay a 15-percent trade kicker, worth roughly $7.3 million.
Dončić has played in just 22 games this season. He was averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists in those contests, but hasn’t competed since sustaining a left calf strain on Christmas.
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(Photo: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)
