‘Christmas is our day’: NBA sends a much-needed statement

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.