Day: February 9, 2024

LeBron James hasn’t signaled he intends to remain with the Los Angeles Lakers next season, but his preference is believed to be to stay put and have the front office maximize their chances of upgrading the roster.

“On LeBron, look, I can’t sit here and really tell you I know what LeBron wants out of life,” said Zach Lowe on his podcast after the trade deadline. “Everything I’ve heard for years, including today, is if he has his druthers, he would like to finish his career with the Lakers. There are pipe dream scenarios out there where, like, well, Philly has all this cap space, could he opt in and ask for a trade to Philly? I haven’t heard that those things are real. I think he wants to finish his career a Laker. I think he probably will opt in. Is he really opting out of $51 million?”

Lowe adds that the situation would likely feel different had James and the Lakers not won the championship in 2020.

“If you talk to people around him, that title really changes the perception of how maybe feels about what this Lakers’ run is and could be going forward,” said Lowe.

The Washington Wizards were widely touted as not seriously considering a trade of Kyle Kuzma at the deadline, but sources tell The Athletic that the came “close” to agreeing to one offer.

The offer almost certainly came from the Dallas Mavericks, who instead acquired Daniel Gafford from the Wizards as well as PJ Washington from the Charlotte Hornets.

The Wizards were seeking at least two first round picks in order to trade Kuzma.

Washington values Kuzma’s play and off-court intangibles more than what the market dictated.

Kuzma’s contract descends each year, dropping from $23.5 million for 2024-25 to $21.5 million in 2025-26 to $19.4 million in 2026-27.

The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t make a move at the trade deadline, which increases the probability they can do something more significant this offseason. The Lakers plan to use the three picks available to them (2024 or 2025, 2029 and 2031) in the offseason to pursue a star via trade.

The Lakers have identified Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young and Kyrie Irving as potential targets in the offseason, sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Mitchell will be entering the final season of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers this offseason and his status remains uncertain. The Cavaliers, however, have played well since the start of 2024 and he has also been strongly linked with the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat.

Young’s future with the Atlanta Hawks is somewhat murky after they were unable to trade Dejounte Murray. Young is on a larger contract than Murray and would presumably fetch a larger trade haul. There are opposing front offices already speculating that the Hawks could entertain a Young trade.

Irving has been linked with the Lakers since he first considered an exit from the Brooklyn Nets in June 2022. Irving was subsequently traded to the Dallas Mavericks and re-signed on a three-year, $126 million deal.

Multiple front offices came away from conversations with the Atlanta Hawks that Trae Young could become available this offseason, reports Jake Fischer of Sports Betting News.

The potential availability of Young could hinge on how the Hawks play over the remainder of the season.

The Hawks shopped Dejounte Murray for several weeks and decided to keep him at this juncture after not finding any offers to match their valuation of him. Murray is set to begin Year 1 of a four-year, $114 million deal next season.

The Hawks presumably would get a much more significant trade return if they make Young available.

After the 22-23 season, there were rumors that Young could be made available.

The Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs are two teams that have been linked with Young should he hit the trade market.