NBA free agency officially kicked off on Monday evening as the negotiating window opened for eligible players and all teams across the league at 6 p.m. ET. Monday night was relatively quiet, but the first stunners of the new league year came Tuesday morning.

After filling their void at center with former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton, the next order of 2025 NBA offseason business for the Los Angeles Lakers should be beefing up their perimeter defense.

It would be entirely illogical for the Lakers to buy out James. He was a second-team All-NBA choice in 2024-25. Why would they get rid of him for nothing in return? While trades don't appear to be forthcoming, LeBron's name value plus talent give him legitimate trade value if he ends up requesting a deal.