“Essentially viewing LeBron as an expiring contract” – Brian Windhorst drops bombshell update on LeBron James’ importance with the Lakers

For the past seven years, LeBron James has been the undisputed face of the LA Lakers. Now, that might not be the case anymore. He’s entering his 23rd season, and with Luka Doncic in town, Rob Pelinka will most likely shift his focus to building around the former Dallas Mavericks star.

As crazy as that may seem, that may also include dealing with LeBron James. According to ESPN insider Brian Windhorst, the Lakers are actually considering James’ contract as an expiring deal, meaning that they could consider trading the four-time NBA champion:

“My conversations over the last 3 days have crystallized that the Lakers are essentially viewing LeBron as an expiring contract,” Windhorst said. “I’m just unlocking the door because I am not as convinced as before if it’s impossibility.”

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Windhorst continued by stating that this was the first time that the team hadn't had any conversation with James about his future beyond this season.

James has technically been traded, other than the sign-and-trade deal that got him from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat.

The Lakers might be gearing up to lose LeBron James

While most people might think that this whole thing started when Rich Paul stirred the pot and talked about how LeBron James wanted to win another championship and wanted the Lakers to build a championship-caliber roster, it may have started before.

Windhorst said that it was odd that the Lakers didn't issue any sort of statement or press release when James opted in on the final year of his $51.6 million player option.

“Last year, when LeBron signed a contract extension, Rob Pelinka had about a 115-word quote talking about how wonderful LeBron James is and what he means to the Lakers and what he means to their franchise," Windhorst said on Monday's episode of ESPN's "Get Up". "Yesterday, there was no statement."

Dave McMenamin of ESPN also reported that as many as four teams have already reached out to the Lakers inquiring about a potential deal involving James, but LeBron hasn't reportedly asked the Lakers to be traded.

He has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he essentially controls his own future and can have a say in his final destination. That's far from an ideal scenario for Rob Pelinka and his brass.

Then again, this isn't the first time that James has used Rich Paul to put pressure on his team, and it'll be interesting to see how the Lakers deal with this situation.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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