Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it appears forward LeBron James will begin the 2025 season as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
James may have his agent Rich Paul to thank for that, according to a report Sunday from NBA veteran Mark Stein.
According to Stein, it was Paul who put an end to tentative trade talks between the Lakers and Golden State Warriors for James last season.
“Some believe the Lakers would have reluctantly agreed to trade talks with the Warriors before the February trade deadline if James wanted them to enter serious negotiations with Golden State over a potential deal. However, league sources say the reported talks between the two teams at the time never got that far, largely because James’ agent Rich Paul was adamantly opposed to the idea of trading LeBron James to Southern California for Northern California,” Stein wrote.
James’ move north was a seismic one — one of the most famous athletes of the 21st century would join a rival with whom he was closely associated. According to Stein, Paul thought about how it could happen and didn’t like what he saw.
“Sources say Rich Paul has begged both teams to scrap the idea… in large part because he wants to protect James from potential backlash over changing teams for the fourth time in his career,” Stein wrote.
Friendship, sharp business sense, both or neither? You be the judge.
