The Los Angeles Lakers may not be actively looking to trade for LeBron James, but they will work with the star if he wants to leave, Anthony Irwin reported for ClutchPoints.

If James sought a trade, sources say the Lakers would “work with him to find a deal that gets him to where he would rather be but also returns the type of return that would fuel a rebuild.” Irwin.

Irwin added: “It is also believed that Bronny James would have to be part of the deal.”

James is currently under contract through the 2024-25 season and has a player option through 2026. He became part of the first father-son duo in NBA history this season after the Lakers selected Bronny with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 draft .

This isn’t the first time the question of a potential trade has come up during James’ Lakers tenure. Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne previously reported for ESPN that the Golden State Warriors had contacted them before the 2024 deadline to inquire about a possible trade for James.

Lakers leadership reportedly responded by instructing the team to speak with James’ representatives. According to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, team owner Jeanie Buss did not want to trade James but “acted with the mindset that she wanted her star players to be happy with the franchise.”

James reportedly turned down the Warriors. The Lakers then signed Bronny in June and James signed his two-year contract with the team in July.

Wojnarowski reported for ESPN at the time that James had signed slightly below the maximum to allow the Lakers “some more flexibility in roster construction” in hopes of competing.

What could theoretically influence James’ desire to stay in Los Angeles would be his perception of how close the team is to that title. Irwin wrote that NBA and Lakers sources reported that James “desperate to win a championship with his son on the roster.”

The Lakers have slipped to 8th place in the West after going 3-7 in their last 10 games. Entering Tuesday, the team sits 5.5 games behind the conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder and 1.0 games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs on the edge of the projected playoff bubble.

With 58 games remaining in the season and potential trades yet to be made, the Lakers still have hope of improving their prospects this season. But trade talks surrounding James are likely to intensify if the franchise continues to hover near the postseason cutoff as the Feb. 6 deadline approaches.