Gary Payton thinks LeBron is staying put.
LeBron James and the Lakers have picked up the pace a bit in recent weeks, cruising into the NBA trade deadline comfortably above the .500 mark as the season reaches its unofficial halfway point. James has continued playing at an All-Star level so far this year, but that hasn’t stopped other teams from checking in on his availability, as it was recently reported by Adrian Wojnarowski and Romana Shelburne of ESPN that the Golden State Warriors–James’ longtime rivals with the Cleveland Cavaliers–had inquired with the Lakers about the superstar’s trade availability, and were obviously turned down.
Still, the report opened up speculation that James might one day opt to join nemesis Stephen Curry in the Bay Area at some point, as he is able to enter free agency this upcoming offseason. However, one person who disagrees with this notion is NBA Hall of Fame point guard and one time Laker Gary Payton.
“LeBron did what he wanted — [what] he was supposed to. He said, ‘I’m staying where I’m at,’” said Payton, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. “He’s been traveling too many times, been to Cleveland, you know. He been to Miami, went back to Cleveland. This is his last stop, man.”
LeBron James has indeed made several stops in his future Hall of Fame career, including with the Cleveland Cavaliers twice, the Miami Heat, and now the Lakers, where he has remained since 2018. With James intact for at least the rest of this season, the Lakers will try to capitalize on last season’s push to the Western Conference Finals.
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