The Los Angeles Lakers are not interested in Golden State Warriors forwards Jimmy Butler or Jonathan Kuminga in a potential LeBron James NBA trade, according to Lakers Daily.
The Warriors have tried to trade for James “on multiple occasions,” according to NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. James, the leading scorer in NBA history, is friends with Warriors legends Stephen Curry and Draymond Green and Curry and James were teammates last summer on Team USA, coached by Steve Kerr.
However, James doesn’t plan to request a trade from the Lakers, so he will remain in Los Angeles. The future Hall of Famer, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, will make $52.6 million next season in the final year of his deal.
Butler, acquired by Golden State last season from the Miami Heat, will make $54.1 million next season. The Warriors would have to trade Butler to acquire James to match salaries, but the Lakers have shown no interest in acquiring Butler.
James has been with the Lakers since 2018. He guided the franchise to the 2020 championship against his former team, the Heat, at the Walt Disney World bubble.
A four-time champion, James has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), Heat and Lakers. He enters next season with career averages of 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks. The basketball legend is the only player in NBA history to rank top five all-time in points and assists.
James will become an unrestricted free agent next offseason for the first time since 2018. If he doesn’t retire from the NBA, James can leave the Lakers or sign a new deal with the franchise.
The Warriors haven’t made any moves this offseason because of Kuminga’s restricted free agency. Curry and Co. lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the 2025 playoffs in five games. The Timberwolves beat James’ Lakers in the first round in five games.
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