With the NBA offseason in full swing, a lot of eyes have been on the New York Knicks’ movement through the start of it. Rumors began to swirl about the future of Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar forward LeBron James after he opted into his $52.6 million player option for next season instead of signing a new contract.
LeBron James is unlikely to be traded to the Knicks this summer
The possibility of James finishing his career elsewhere has now become a real possibility, and the Knicks were thrown into the thick of the rumor mill. However, the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy shut down the possibility of James coming to New York anytime soon.
“For the LeBron-to-Knicks speculation, I checked on it and the answer was, “No. Makes for good chatter but no,” Bondy posted on X.
The 41-year-old is on his way to the Hall of Fame and is arguably the greatest player to ever play in the NBA. He will be entering his 23rd season this fall and is still more productive than an overwhelming majority of players in the league.
This past season, he averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists across 70 games. The Lakers are hoping to build a team that can win a title next season, led by James and Luka Doncic, but time is running out for them.
The Knicks have set out their offseason blueprint
As for the Knicks, they would have to give up a lot to acquire James. A trade would likely include Karl-Anthony Towns, which would arguably shorten their title window given James’ advanced age.
A contrary argument would be to go all-in this summer with the Eastern Conference wide open, but the Knicks already did that last summer by acquiring Towns and Mikal Bridges. Instead, they are focusing on retooling their roster by adding depth and bringing in a new head coach.
The Knicks signed Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele at the start of free agency, and they hired Mike Brown as their head coach a day later. The Brown hire sparked more speculation around James, as Brown coached him for five seasons during his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It is unlikely that a massive move is coming, as New York has made their intentions clear for how it wants its roster to look next season.
James in the Big Apple would have been quite the addition, but such a move is essentially off the table as the Knicks look to put the finishing touches on their roster.
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