James has never applied to leave the Lakers! He will focus on no ball in the new season. Lucappe never wants him to leave

On August 28, the NBA entered the offseason. Earlier today, Lakers reporter Anthony Irwin wrote an article about James's situation. He noted that James never filed a trade application with the Lakers this summer and he will improve his influence on the off-ball side in the new season. The article pointed out that this summer was very weird from the beginning, when Ritchie Paul made the widely circulated remark in an interview with ESPN that James would execute the player option for the last year of the contract. Many voices in the league felt that it seemed like James was preparing to leave the Lakers. But then, nothing substantial happened. According to sources close to both sides, James never made a deal or buyout to the Lakers throughout the summer.

Anthony Irwin also pointed out that James and Doncic have been in communication this summer to discuss how they can maximize their cooperation opportunities. James' focus is on making himself more threatening without the ball. He spent time making himself more adaptable to catch and shoot on the offensive end, while investing more energy to prepare his body and putting more energy on the defensive end, because the offensive responsibility will be mainly undertaken by Doncic.

In addition, Pelinka is now opening the Doncic era, and he will never hope to have worse quality in lineup than when he finished last season. And trading James will almost certainly lead to this situation. Doncic, he doesn't want the team to send James away, but he also understands that James needs to figure out what is the most suitable for him in the last few years of his career.

What do you think of the Lakers and James' soap operas this summer? Welcome to give your opinions in the comment section.