LeBron James will stay with the Los Angeles Lakers after exercising his $52.6 million player option for the upcoming season, a decision that comes as no surprise since finding a new destination at age 40 would be challenging, even if he wanted to leave the franchise.

A harsh revelation for LeBron James and his legacy

ESPN NBA expert Bobby Marks, alongside Brian Windhorst, reacted to questions about whether there’s a market for the NBA star who has long dominated the league, offering discouraging responses.

"To be sensitive to LeBron, whose considered one of the greatest of all time, there isn't," Marks stated. "He's making $53 million, he's in the last year of his contract. He's 40 years old and I talked to numerous teams yesterday and asked that same question: would you give up basically the farm—basically you would have to give up four or five players to go get LeBron James for one year—and the unanimous answer was no, they wouldnt."

Marks also added: "The stakes change a lot if LeBron James ever became a free agent and did some type of buyout in Los Angeles. There you would have 29 teams lined up for him."

Under this scenario, the Cleveland Cavaliers were mentioned as a possible destination for LeBron, though for just one season, the team might have to part with six players, a decision that wouldn’t be very wise for the franchise’s future.

We’ll have to wait and see if LeBron James finishes his career with the Lakers or joins another team. However, all signs point to a trade for the player in his final years being highly unlikely.