Rich Paul: LeBron James will not leave the Lakers this season, but the Lakers' roster is not strong enough to reach the Western Conference Finals threshold.

On December 10th Beijing time, well-known agent Rich Paul once again dismissed the chance of his primary client, Lakers star LeBron James, being traded.

Paul mentioned on his podcast "The Final Buzzer," co-hosted with Kellerman, that James will stay with the Lakers until the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. "Where else would he go?" Paul said with an air of certainty.

Kellerman brought up the New York Knicks, which Paul called a "wishful thinking." Paul admitted that James could indeed improve the Knicks' strength, but that applies equally to the other 29 teams in the league.

James will become a free agent this summer, so if he intends to continue his career, he could leave the Lakers and join another team. However, it is hard to imagine him being traded before becoming a free agent, simply because if he truly wanted to leave, the trade would have already happened.

In fact, as early as after winning the championship in 2020, when his pairing with Anthony Davis reached the team's limit, James had the opportunity to request a trade; later, when the Lakers acquired Doncic and started planning the post-James era, he could also have sought to leave.

Yet, this 21-time All-Star still wears the purple and gold, and the Lakers' current record provides ample reason for him to stay. With a 17-6 record, the Lakers rank second in the West. Although the Thunder are favorites for the title, the Lakers clearly remain strong contenders.

The Knicks have a relatively easier path to the Finals since they are not in the same division as the defending champions, but this likely isn’t enough for James to seriously consider transferring there.

However, Paul believes that in what might be James’ final season, the Lakers are not yet equipped to contend for the championship.

On the show, Paul said he personally does not "believe the Lakers' current roster is good enough to be a championship team." "I think their lineup doesn’t even reach the Western Conference Finals level; from a title-contending standpoint, their core strength is still far from sufficient."

Paul’s evaluation of the Lakers is especially notable because back in June, he told ESPN reporter Shams that James "is eager to compete for a championship" and "wants to make every remaining season count."

“He understands the Lakers are building for the future and is okay with that, but he values the realistic chance of winning a title more... We do need to assess the best path for LeBron at this stage of his career and life,” Paul said in his June statement.

James, who will turn 41 later this month, currently has a player option worth $52.6 million for the 2025-26 season, after which he will become a free agent next summer.

So far this season, James has missed 16 games due to injury. In the games he has played, he averages 16.1 points per game, a career low, but the Lakers have posted an impressive 6-1 record in those appearances.