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Fans wondering about LeBron James’ future can put trade speculation to rest — at least for now.

Rich Paul, James’ agent and CEO of Klutch Sports, said James will finish the season as a Laker. Paul made the comments while speaking with Max Kellerman on their new video podcast, “Game Over,” on The Ringer.

“No,” Paul said bluntly when asked about the prospect of James leaving Los Angeles before the end of the year. “Where’s he gonna go?”

James will be an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason. Ahead of the 2025-26 season, James opted into his $52.6 million player option, and Paul released the following statement:

“LeBron knows the Lakers are building for the future, and he also wants to compete for championships,” Paul said. “We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career.”

Kellerman brought up the New York Knicks, explaining how the Eastern Conference finalists last season might be the team best positioned — in terms of market size and assets — to make a move for the nearly 41-year-old superstar.

“Does LeBron make the Knicks better?” Paul said. “Yes, he would, of course, but 29 other teams would say the same thing.”

Kellerman persisted, mentioning recent Knicks rumors surrounding Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. As ESPN first reported, Antetokounmpo expressed an interest in playing for the Knicks this past offseason, but The Athletic later confirmed that those talks never gained any traction.

Still, as with any superstar of James’ or Antetokounmpo’s caliber, the Knicks — who are 16-7 and near the top of the East — are typically front of mind when it comes to trade rumors.

“The Knicks just have to strike while the iron’s hot,” Kellerman said. “Is there anyone in the East so good that … if you drop LeBron on the Knicks, they would be overmatched against anyone in the East?”

Paul reminded Kellerman of the contractual roadblocks to James leaving the Lakers.

“First of all, he has a no-trade clause,” Paul said. “He would have to agree to that.”

James missed the first 14 games of the season due to a sciatica issue. He also has missed games due to left foot injury management. All told, James has played seven games this season, averaging career lows of 16.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, though he has maintained his usual playmaking productivity with 7.6 assists a night.

Despite James’ long absence, the Lakers have soared to a 17-6 record, tied with the Denver Nuggets for second in the Western Conference. Austin Reaves has taken a massive leap, assuming more of the scoring load and pouring in a career-high 28.4 points a night. Luka Dončić has returned to his perennial MVP-caliber play, averaging 35.0 points, 9.1 assists and 9.2 rebounds.

Seven weeks into the season, the Lakers are clearly one of the better teams in the West, but Paul wouldn’t go as far as to call them contenders.

“I, personally, don’t think the Lakers are good enough to be contenders right now. Not right now,” Paul said on the podcast. “I don’t think they have enough to get to the Western Conference Final. I don’t think they have enough to really contend from that perspective right now.”

Contenders or not, it doesn’t appear James will be hopping off the title pursuit anytime soon.