Windhorst: James doesn t care about crazy offseason trading and free agent transfers

According to Chaitanya Dadwar, contributor of US sports media F/W. This is probably the first time in James' 23-year NBA career we've seen him traded to another team instead of being a free agent. After James scored $52.6 million in his 23rd season, speculation was made about his future with the Lakers because there was a clear difference between his hopes for the Lakers to be a title contender and the team’s reconstruction around Doncic.

Enter could be the last season of his NBA career, James's agent clarified that he wanted to compete for the championship, no matter where it was. Insider Windhorst claims his source has provided him with information about Le James' reaction to the offseason, especially with regard to the Lakers' moves. "Earlier, we had Shams and Ramona talk about how Giannis relaxed and watched the offseason. Yes, I heard that LeBron was just relaxing and watching the offseason. Do I think he would be traded? No, I didn't. But if he wanted to be traded, some teams would come forward to offer quotes. So I think those two things are correct. If LeBron speaks for himself and has something different to say, then we can take some action. But I don't know if that will happen." Windhorst seemed skeptical about James's ultimate demand for a deal, but there seems to be room for that possibility. What does the Lakers need to be a championship contender to keep James

James clarified in a variety of ways that he admitted that the Lakers are rebuilding around Doncic. But he also said he still believes they can make the right move to compete for the championship. However, experts believe that James's choice of player option may be just to facilitate a deal that the Lakers get some reward for him, rather than letting him leave as a free agent.

But James seems to have said that he remains confident in the management's vision to build a squad around him and Doncic. So the Lakers now need to take some action to make sure James doesn't ask for a trade to join the team elsewhere for the championship. To do this, they first need to tell James that he is no longer the cornerstone of the team’s first choice. After this, they need to follow to some extent the blueprint the Mavericks used to build a team around Doncic that reached the NBA Finals in 2024. They signed Jack Laravia from the Kings to replace the lost Finney Smith into free agency.

They need to add an all-in-one threat center like Drifley or Gafford and a defensive wing similar to PJ Washington so they can have a solid team of championship contenders. Jack Laravia may be young, but he certainly has the potential to play this role in the team. But can the Lakers find the right center to confidently say they are potential champions of the season? It will be interesting to see what kind of signing operations the Lakers will make next this offseason; but for the moment, the Lakers management is still holding back, which will make them increasingly far away from becoming the champion team.