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LeBron James greeted Lakers coaches, took photo with teammates on Monday

LeBron James greeted Lakers coaches, took photo with teammates on Monday

USA Today16-07-2025
A post shared by NBA (@nba)
There is a lot of noise these days that LeBron James and his camp are unhappy with the Los Angeles Lakers and that it is just a matter of time before he asks to be traded. That noise has stemmed from a cryptic statement his agent, Rich Paul, made on June 29 when he decided to exercise the player option on his contract for this coming season.
There is a very real chance that all this talk is nothing more than people running away with a couple of parts of Paul's statement and that there are no real hard feelings between James and the Lakers.
He has been in attendance for their last couple of summer league games, and on Monday, he shook hands with several members of their coaching staff, as well as Rob Pelinka, their general manager.
The superstar also took a photo with teammates Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt, Austin Reaves, Jaxson Hayes and Deandre Ayton.
#LakeShow in Vegas supporting the Summer squad 👏(📸: @NBA) pic.twitter.com/bPIhJKpLRZ
It is very possible that Paul's quote merely put the Lakers on notice that James wants to win his fifth championship as soon as possible, and that if doing so isn't realistic, the door is open to James asking for a trade as a last resort.
But as usual, people will make all types of speculation about James, especially given how polarizing and passive-aggressive he is.
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