Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. Credit: Getty Images
The NBA’s current most famous superstar may hit the market this offseason amid a series of unknowns. LeBron James has been treated well during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, bringing them their 17th championship in 2020. With that being said, his future with the team remains uncertain.
James has a player option for the upcoming season, but becomes an unrestricted free agent after that. That has not prevented rumors of the Lakers trading him this offseason from surfacing. It comes as his son Bronny enters the 2024 NBA Draft and is expected to be drafted by a team.
Rich Paul, the agent of LeBron James, made an interesting slip up during an appearance on the TNT AltCast for Game 2 between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves. In the interview, he erroneously stated that James is a free agent, despite him technically not being one as he has a player option.
“And you know, look, LeBron’s a free agent,” said Paul. “You have to decide, and I gotta focus on his business, and he should be focused on his business. And let the Lakers hire whoever they wanna hire. And he’s always showed up and played for whatever coach is there.”
Rich Paul Called Out
The slip up immediately went viral since James is technically not yet a free agent. This led to some believing that he will not sign the extension with the Lakers, opting for a departure.
Paul was called out on his mistake by another co-host of the AltCast, Chris Haynes, who asked him of that very possibility.
“You know, I’ll do my business over here. I don’t know what he’s gonna do,” Paul continued. “We’re gonna do what we do every year. We’re gonna evaluate the situation and we’re gonna make the best decision. There’s no need to try to drive a specific narrative or try to dodge anything. It is what it is. I think he’s earned the right to have and put it through one of that, obviously, but it’s just not the case.”
LeBron’s Future Uncertain
Paul, who is the CEO of sports agency firm Klutch Sports Group, appeared to become defensive when Haynes pressed him of the slip up. It is entirely possible that James intends on opting out and not signing the player extension, and therefore becoming a free agent.
In his 21st season in the NBA, and sixth with the Lakers, James averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game. He shot 54 percent from the field and 41 percent from the three point range. At 39 years old, the stats were not far off (and in some cases, higher) than his career average.
The reality is that nobody except James (and possibly those at Klutch) know the eventual outcome. However, there is no denying that Rich Paul’s mistake live on the air aided in adding fuel to the fire.
