Rich Paul makes it clear that, yes, LeBron James will finish season with Lakers

Rich Paul isn’t entertaining the idea of LeBron James finishing the season anywhere but Los Angeles.

Speaking on the debut episode of Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul for The Ringer, the Klutch Sports CEO cut off the question before it could even breathe.

“Is LeBron, realistically, a guy who could not be on the Lakers at the end of this year?” Kellerman asked.

“No,” Paul replied.

“He will be on the Lakers at the end of this year?”

“Yeah. Where’s he going to go?”

James, now in year 23, has never been traded in his career outside of the procedural sign-and-trade that took him from Cleveland to Miami in 2010.

There was brief offseason noise after Paul released a statement about LeBron wanting “a realistic chance” at a title while acknowledging the Lakers were “building for the future,” but that speculation faded fast. James also holds a no-trade clause.

His future beyond this season is still a talking point. The deal is expiring, he cannot sign an extension until free agency, and the Lakers are shifting toward a long-term core built around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

If LeBron leaves in July, Los Angeles could suddenly find itself with meaningful cap room.

For now, none of that matters. The Lakers are 17-6, sitting second in the West, and they have the pieces to chase upgrades around James, Doncic and Reaves. Any decisions about LeBron’s next move will wait until summer.