LeBron James hint at Lakers trade push has caught NBA execs flat-footed

Lebron James’ agent, Rich Paul, might have caught the entire league off guard.On Sunday, Paul told ESPN’s Shams Charania that James is taking his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers.However, he and his agent made it clear that they expect the Lakers to build a competitive roster, or he might look elsewhere.These statements left many surprised that James might consider leaving the Lakers this offseason.

But what many wouldn’t expect is that other GMs were just as bewildered as they were.According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on The Hoop Collective podcast, teams were shocked by the statement that Paul released.“I identified the teams that I could see LeBron trying to be traded to,” Windhorst said, “…I did not find a team that was prepared for this.I talked to a handful of teams and they were all caught flat-footed by this.”Follow The Post’s live updates for the latest NBA free agency signings, news and rumors.James is coming off another good season with the Lakers.

He averaged 24.4 points per game, which was enough for the 13th-best in the league.His 8.2 assists per game were the sixth best in the league, which is surprising at his forward position.Those stats prove that the now 40-year-old James still has gas left in the tank for even more great seasons ahead.

The only question this offseason is which team he will be on.Luckily for the Lakers, they still have good pieces that might be enough for James to stay.Most notable is Luka Dončić.

One of the main positions the Lakers are trying to upgrade is center.The production there was lacking after Anthony Davis was traded to the Mavericks as part of the Doncic deal.Right now, their projected starter is Maxi Kleber, who is coming off foot surgery.

It seems either by trade or free agency, that is the position the Lakers want to upgrade.If they get the right guy, it might be enough to convince Paul and James that Los Angeles is the place to be next season....