Speaking for the first time since reports that teams called on his availability at the trade deadline, LeBron James said he’s “happy” to be with the Lakers and that he’s hopeful that he’ll finish his career with the organization.
“I’m happy and been very happy being a Laker the last six years, and hopefully it stays that way,” James said when asked about his plans for the end of his career. “But I don’t have the answer for how long it is or which uniform it’ll be in.
“Hopefully, it’s the Lakers. It’s a great organization, so many greats. But we’ll see.”
James has a player option for $51.4 million next season. If he declines it, he’d become an unrestricted free agent.
James, speaking with media Sunday ahead of his record 20th All-Star Game, said he received treatment on his bothersome left ankle in the lead-up to All-Star weekend and will continue to do so ahead of the Lakers’ game Thursday against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.
The Warriors were reportedly among the teams that called the Lakers to gauge their interest in trading James before the deadline. Talks never seriously materialized, with James’ agent, Rich Paul, telling ESPN that James wouldn’t be traded and hasn’t requested a deal.
“Where our team is … we’re trending in the right direction,” James said.
James said that he’s healthy enough to honor his commitment to play in the Paris Olympics with Team USA this summer.
“As it stands right now,” he said, “I’m healthy enough to be on the team and perform at the level I want to perform at.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
