Lakers News: Where LeBron James Wants To Finish His NBA Career

Will LBJ really demand a trade?

On the latest episode of his podcast The Lowe Post, ESPN's Zach Lowe spoke with the Worldwide Leader's Lakers beat reporter, Dave McMenamin, about just how badly 38-year-old LA All-Star might actually want to leave the team in a trade.

The answer: not much.

“I keep hearing he wants to stay with the Lakers. He wants to finish his career with the Lakers,” Lowe noted. “His comments [about hoping to play for a winning franchise] should be interpreted as his patience is not infinite and if this is just a continued morass of losing, maybe that changes. But if you force me to bet, I’d still bet on him finishing his career with the Lakers. And I’d feel pretty confident in that.”

McMenamin weighed in as well.

"I think if he had his druthers, he plays on the Lakers until he hangs it up," McMenamin noted. "[Eldest son] Bronny James is on the Lakers. And the Lakers are back in the playoffs every single season. I think that would be enough. It's not championship or bust. It's competitive basketball or bust. I think that's his breaking point."

Now in the middle of his fifth year for LA, James has already lapped his total seasons spent with the Miami Heat. He hasn't quite duplicated his Miami output of four straight NBA Finals runs, two championships, or two Finals and regular season MVP awards. But he has brought the Lakers their 17th championship, so really the rest is gravy. He has cemented his legacy as a legitimate Laker, no matter where he winds up when all is said and done.