Stephen A. Smith questioned why LeBron James killed a potential deal that would have sent him to the Warriors at the trade deadline. Smith confirmed that the story first reported by his fellow ESPN colleagues was true but asked what it said about LeBron. "How happy is LeBron with the Lakers management?" Smith asked. However, he went on to say, "LeBron James. If there is one person on Earth you should want to play with, it's Steph Curry".
Per the original ESPN report, the efforts of the Warriors to acquire LeBron didn't get past an initial phone call. Warriors owner Joe Lacob reached out directly to his Lakers counterpart Jeannie Buss. The deal was struck down by Buss and Rich Paul. LeBron's agent. However, the Warriors were not the only team reportedly interested in LeBron. Earlier in the run-up to the deadline, the Sixers Daryl Morey reached out to Lakers GM Rob Pelinka. Morey wanted to enquire about LeBron's availability after seeing his cryptic hourglass tweet. That conversation was quickly ended when Pelinka asked Morey whether Joel Embiid was available.
LeBron James Coy About Plans For Next Season
Meanwhile, following the trade deadline, LeBron had a very simple answer when asked if he had thought about what he was going to do with his player option year for next season - "No." The veteran star gave the blunt answer following a Lakers shootaround ahead of their marquee clash against the Knicks. LeBron has a $51.4 million player option for the 2024/25 with a late-July opt-in deadline. That opt-in deadline comes a few days after the NBA Draft. As a result, many pundits believe LeBron will wait to see if and where his son Bronny is drafted.
However, the speculation and trade shutdown haven't stopped people from making their trade pitches regardless. Smith caused a stir after using a segment on First Take to pitch a deadline trade between his Knicks and the Lakers to acquire LeBron James. Smith's pitch was more based on the vibes of "LeBron at MSG" rather than how LeBron would actually make the Knicks a better team. Smith's Knicks, who are playing without Julius Randle until after the All-Star break, are fourth in the East with a 33-21 record.
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