There has been a ton of recent chatter about LeBron James potentially departing from the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason.
The four-time champion is set to enter his 23rd season and just picked up his $52.6 million player option earlier this week.
According to James and his agent, the Lakers front office has made it clear that they have their eye on the future, so he is considering requesting a trade.
Naturally, the Cleveland Cavaliers were the first team that people linked the 21-time All-Star to.
However, James recently took to social media and shunned a page who tried to link him back with his hometown team.
Los Angeles Lakers f
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) controls the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The X/Twitter account posted a picture of James after a workout at the Cavs facility, seemingly implying that a reunion was in the works.
The king then replied, telling the world that he has trained at that gym every summer since the building opened.
While this furious rebuttal doesn’t necessarily mean that a James and Cleveland partnership is no longer possible, it certainly dims a flame that could once illuminate an entire room.
Both the Cavaliers and the Lakers would need to pull off some salary cap acrobatics to make the money work in a potential trade, so that is another clear roadblock.
James is one of only three players in the NBA that possess a no-trade clause in his contract, so he ultimately holds all the cards if he wants to be dealt.
There has been no formal trade request yet, but the media posturing by James gives credence to its possibility.