LeBron James has been one of the Lakers’ most important players over the last few seasons, but reports suggest that the franchise almost traded the basketball legend back in 2022. In 2024, the LA Lakers signed James’ son, Bronny James, on the same team at the same time as his legendary father. However, behind the scenes, there was a different story to tell as existing tensions deepened between the management and James.
Report suggests Lakers considered trading LeBron James in 2022
Lakers management nearly traded their star player, LeBron James, back in 2022. According to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes’ report, Lakers governor and minority owner Jeanie Buss reportedly felt that the franchise had gone to great lengths to accommodate James.
However, according to Buss, the basketball legend never fully returned the favor the way she expected him to. Sources close to the team told ESPN that Buss expected that James “should be grateful” for the franchise drafting his son. However, Buss believes that James did not express his gratitude as adequately as she expected.
The franchise went out of its way to draft James’ son, Bronny, into the team, even when the odds were stacked against him. According to Holmes, the organization did it as a symbolic gesture toward their star player, who was nearing the end of his career. However, the unspoken tensions extended beyond the draft. Holmes noted that in 2022, Buss privately considered trading James to the LA Clippers.
Reportedly, Buss and the franchise even discussed a trade scenario involving the LA Clippers, underscoring how strained her equation with James had become. Adding to that, the unfortunate Russell Westbrook experiment worsened the relationship further. Despite the rising tensions off the court, James remained the face of the franchise in the media and for Lakers fans.
He led the Lakers to the 2020 NBA Championship and remains an integral part of the team’s success even in his early forties. In 2024, the Lakers and James signed a no-trade contract, which means they cannot trade him to another team without his permission. According to the ESPN article, Buss accepted this “almost begrudgingly,” because she was aware of the public backlash that would follow if she traded the team’s star player.
