Following the historic seven-team trade agreement, LeBron James receives a significant update on his future with the Lakers.

LeBron James seemed almost certain to return to Los Angeles for his ninth season with the team after choosing to exercise his $52.6 million player option. However, it was unclear whether James would remain with the Lakers when his agent, Rich Paul, stated that he wanted to make choices that would help the 21-time All-Star in the later years of his career.

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst felt compelled to give an update on James’ future in Los Angeles, a day after the organization agreed to an unprecedented seven-team trade that was completed on Sunday. Bontemps and Windhorst noted on Friday that it’s “one of the biggest topics of conversation around the league.” Nothing in the NBA is impossible after the (Luka) Doncic deal, so the idea of a trade is not impossible, but it is improbable because of James’ high contract and no-trade rule.

According to insiders, a few teams with eyebrows asked questions to see if this was a big deal or not. As of right now, nothing is happening. However, it is undoubtedly being watched. “It also defies logic to buy out James’ contract, even if he returns a sizable portion of the money.” The Milwaukee Bucks weren’t in this predicament when future Hall of Famer Damian Lillard was sidelined due to a torn left Achilles.

With a less than perfect version of Doncic, this player was named to the Western Conference’s second-team All-NBA team the previous season. What would the Lakers gain from just letting James go? Although it ended without a championship, James’ 22nd NBA season was exciting. The typical fan would assume that James had nothing more to contribute to a competitive team at the age of forty. James isn’t your average aging NBA star, though. On the court, the athletic 6-foot-9 forward knows how important it is to strike a good balance between helping his teammates succeed and taking matters into his own hands.

James shot 51.3% from the field and 37.6% from three-point range, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game. The Lakers shouldn’t suffer another playoff disappointment if James stays in Los Angeles and demonstrates that he can make his combination with Doncic work (adding Deandre Ayton to a two-year contract will help with that).