- Kendrick Perkins says he’s trying to get his relationship back with Russell Westbrook after he suggested the Lakers trade him
- Michelle Beadle says LeBron James once DM’d her and asked, ‘Why are you so mean to me on television?’
- Report: Frank Vogel’s handling of the Russell Westbrook experiment played a role in his firing
- Colin Cowherd says Giannis Antetokounmpo is currently better than Kobe Bryant was during his prime years
- Here’s how Jeanie Buss reportedly feels about idea of trading LeBron James if he doesn’t sign extension this summer
- Report: There are powerful people close to Lakers who ‘aren’t thrilled’ with Phil Jackson’s role in coaching search
- J.J. Redick slams Lakers for allowing Phil Jackson to advise head-coaching search
- Stephen A. Smith says executives have told him that Anthony Davis’ trade value is low because of his injury woes
- Stephen A. Smith: ‘The Los Angeles Lakers should strongly consider trading LeBron James’
- Masai Ujiri clowns the Lakers for thinking they have a chance to land Nick Nurse
Here’s how Jeanie Buss reportedly feels about idea of trading LeBron James if he doesn’t sign extension this summer
- Updated: May 5, 2022

Despite the failure that was the 2021-22 NBA season for the Los Angeles Lakers, there were probably not many people who envisioned that the disappointing season would lead to reporters discussing trades involving four-time MVP LeBron James.
However, that is precisely the situation Lakers fans are looking at right now. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Jeanie Buss would not see James’ desire to play out the final season of his contract as a reason to consider trading him.
“If LeBron James ultimately decides against signing an extension with the Lakers in August, sources say Buss wouldn’t see his desire to play out the final season of his contract as a reason to consider trading him,” Amick wrote. “Without an extension, James’ current deal will expire after next season (in which he’s owed $47.1 million).”
So, while sports pundit Stephen A. Smith apparently believes that the Lakers should consider trading the superstar away, it appears that cooler heads within the Lakers organization have not reached that conclusion.
After all, James was one of the only positives for the Lakers during the 2021-22 season. Despite the fact that the Lakers failed to even advance to the play-in tournament, James still had a very impressive season.
In 56 games, he averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. While the Lakers obviously had problems during their most recent campaign, James certainly was not one of them.
For the Lakers, the hope has to be that James will continue his age-defying career next season. The team will also hope to see big man Anthony Davis return to full health and stay healthy. If those two things happen, the Lakers should be able to rebound nicely from the utter failure that the 2021-22 season was.