The Los Angeles Lakers have done one really weird thing since the public began speculating about a possible LeBron James trade. L.A. has yet to acknowledge publicly that James opted-in to his player option for 2025-26 to play the upcoming season for $52.6 million.

Lakers’ LeBron James ‘Trade Machine’ Move Gets Brutally Frank Mavs Insider Review originally appeared on Athlon Sports. DALLAS - We are under no grand illusions here.

Read more: Mavericks' Interest in Acquiring LeBron James Receives Major Update During the 2024-25 NBA season with Los Angeles, James played in 70 games. He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds, and a steal per game, while shooting 51.3 percent overall and 37.6 percent from three-point range.