According to Marc Stein, the Golden State Warriors tried trading for LeBron James. This was very public and very real. However, LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul, didn’t want it to happen due to the public criticism.

Despite team owners talking and negotiations ramping up rather quickly, the only way the Lakers would move LeBron was by him outright saying it. It’s unknown if James wanted to go to Golden State, but Paul feared the public would clown him for jumping to his fourth team.

So, with all that being said, the highly successful agent asked both teams not to consider any deal. It appears an image investment was made.

LeBron is under contract until 2026-27 unless he declines his option in 2025-26.

The NBA has released next season’s schedule—the complete schedule, from Christmas games to Martin Luther King Jr. Day games to Rivalry Week to pretty much anything else. With that, fans have discovered how many national games their teams play.

Los Angeles Lakers fans will have 39 nationally televised appearances, the most of any team, with two of those games in the opening week.

Remaining in California, the Golden State Warriors are right behind them with 36 appearances on national TV. That is the second-most for the upcoming season.

Still on the West Coast, for top five teams, fans will see the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks get 30 appearances each.

Now, transitioning to the East Coast, the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks get 34 appearances each.

So the top five are the Lakers, Warriors, Celtics, Knicks, Suns, and then Mavericks.

For those that don’t know, a national game is a game where it is broadcast on ESPN, TNT, NBA TV, and ABC.

According to multiple reports, the Los Angeles Lakers have inked a deal with LeBron James to continue their partnership. This deal was always expected to happen, especially after his son, Bronny James, got drafted.

For the Lakers to stay under the second apron, LeBron had to take a slight pay cut. He took a two-year, $101.35 million deal that puts it as a $2.7 million pay cut. He could have signed a $104 million max.

The deal includes a no-trade clause and a player option for the second year. LeBron will have played 23 seasons in the NBA when this contract expires.