LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have held no discussions about a trade or buyout, and both the club and people close to the 40-year-old forward expect him to report to Lakers training camp this fall, according to multiple reports first carried by The Athletic. James exercised his $52.6 million player option on 29 June and holds a full no-trade clause, factors that, along with restrictive new luxury-tax rules, make an exit from Los Angeles unlikely. The Cleveland Cavaliers are over the league’s second-apron threshold, preventing a viable trade, and the Dallas Mavericks have signalled they are unwilling to dismantle their roster to match James’s salary. The Lakers, who added Luka Dončić and Deandre Ayton last season, plan to compete for a title with James entering his 23rd NBA campaign.