Lakers Coaching Rumors: LeBron James Involved In LA's Search Or Is A Trade On The Way?

NBA teams have been known to ask for input from their superstar players when searching for a new head coach.

But what about a recently signed NBA legend who is coming off arguably the most disappointing season of his career?

That's the case with the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James, with the team perhaps weighing James' value to the club this offseason.

According to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, the Lakers may not be certain of James' future with the club after failing to hire Tyronn Lue, James' former coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers and a former guard on the Lakers.

"You've got folks close to [Lakers owner] Jeanie Buss imploring her to trade LeBron James. He does not have a no-trade clause and now you haven't given him the coach that he wanted," Smith said, citing unnamed sources.

"LeBron James has quietly been about the business of trying to get Kawhi Leonard to come to the Los Angeles Lakers instead of the Los Angeles Clippers. So making a move like this, by not bringing in the coach he wants ... you never know what dominos are going to fall right now. Whether or not it's going to affect free agents coming to L.A., whether it's going to affect LeBron James staying in L.A.

"We don't know what the hell is going on right now. But I'm telling you, those are the kind of questions and the level of speculation that has been thrown into my ear in the last five minutes."

Such talk confirms how the Lakers have been overwhelmed by uncertainty in recent months. The club failed to complete a deal for star forward Anthony Davis, saw the exit of team president Magic Johnson and fired head coach Luke Walton.

There were rumors that Lue and Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Monty Williams were on the Lakers' short list to replace Walton but Williams took a job with the Phoenix Suns, while Lue declined a three-year deal with Los Angeles.

It's unclear if James, who missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005, would be enthusiastic about any of the remaining options. The search has reportedly shifted to former Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic head coach Frank Vogel and former Memphis Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

Other candidates have included Juwan Howard and Jason Kidd.

The Lakers have $38 million in salary-cap space entering the free-agent market. Los Angeles has a 9.45% chance at a top-four pick and a 2% chance at landing the No. 1 pick in Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery.