Gary Payton believes that LeBron James will finish his career with the Los Angeles Lakers despite rumors that the franchise and NBA star could be set for a separation after six years together.
The news has been hotting up as the sport heads towards trade deadline week and although the Lakers are .500 and LeBron is playing well, for some reason it seems as though there is tension between them as the basketball great heads to free agency.
But the ex-Point Guard, who is in the NBA Hall of Fame, Payton expects LeBron to conclude his career in Los Angeles after jumping between teams from 2010-2018.
“LeBron did what he wanted – [what] he was supposed to. He said, ‘I’m staying where I’m at,'” said Payton, per Vincent Goodwill. “He’s been traveling too many times.
“Been to Cleveland, you know. He’s been to Miami, went back to Cleveland. This is his last stop, man.”
What is the state of play?
ESPN did, however, claim that the Lakers rejected an offer from their Western Conference rivals, the Golden State Warriors, who asked about his trade availability in 2023/24.
So, they do not appear to want to trade him but they also do not appear to be able to agree a contract, which makes for an interesting situation to watch unfold.
LeBron is earning $47.6m as a basic salary and perhaps the Lakers are now unwilling to pay that for someone of his age, or perhaps LeBron is waiting to see if the Lakers can win the NBA Finals before amicably heading off into the sunset.
LeBron might also want a multi-year contract to secure his future, which the Lakers might be unwilling to do, or vice versa. There are a lot of angles to this that are not yet in the public eye.
One thing that seems certain at the moment is he will play in their upcoming game against the Warriors on Friday, February 23 as they head to San Francisco.