LeBron James reportedly rejected a trade to the Golden State Warriors in favor of remaining in Laker

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar wants to remain with the team — for now

LeBron James contributed to the formation of what many saw as a manufactured NBA superteam in 2010 when he declared “The Decision” to bring his skills to South Beach. Even though the Miami Heat wasn’t the first team to intentionally stack established stars, the club that ultimately won two titles has received the most criticism of any franchise. James’s ultra-glamorous path to championship success, where he need star power surrounding him, has been criticized by pundits like Charles Barkley and a lot of fans as having damaged his legacy. But James just zagged in the other direction for whatever reason.

This morning, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne revealed that Joe Lacob, the owner of the Golden State Warriors, inquired with Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss about James’ availability for a trade. In that scenario, if the two teams had reached a mutual agreement, James and the Warriors’ championship “Big Three”—Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson—would have made yet another superteam.

Prior to the trade deadline, James has expressed frustration with his current team’s unwillingness to make any deals. The Lakers are currently nine games out of the fifth and sixth slots in the Western Conference rankings, meaning they can still make the NBA playoffs without having to advance past the first play-in round. Thus, Lacob, whose team is one spot below the Lakers in the rankings, enquired about James around a day before the trade deadline last week. Buss instructed him to inquire with James’s agent, Rich Paul, regarding James’s willingness to make a contract.