With the future of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James in question, Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem is seemingly doing his part to ensure that Miami gets a seat at the table if James switches teams.
James recently exercised his player option for the 2025-26 season with the Lakers, but his camp made some comments around the same time that seemingly left the door open for him to leave the team via trade.
During a recent ESPN appearance, Haslem, who does currently work for the Heat, appeared to hint that James will “always be welcome” in Miami, even though he didn’t mention the team by name.
Udonis Haslem on LeBron future:
“I do know a place where he is welcomed and will always be welcomed. Just throwing that out there” 👀 pic.twitter.com/ce06LnvrJn
— Heat Culture (@HeatCulture13) July 14, 2025
James, of course, had an iconic stint with the Heat earlier in his career in which he formed a Big 3 with fellow stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Thanks in large part to that trio, Miami was able to reach four straight NBA Finals and win two championships.
Individually, James won two league MVPs and two Finals MVPs with the Heat, and he enjoyed some of the best years of his career with the franchise.
Nowadays, he is past his prime but remains a premier NBA player. This past season, he averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game while shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc.
The Heat have struggled to land a superstar in recent years. A trade for James would certainly change Miami’s immediate outlook and could be enough to launch the team into title contention.
But as of now, there are no guarantees that James will be traded, and the likeliest scenario may be that he remains with the Lakers going into the 2025-26 season. L.A. has made some changes to its roster this offseason that may get the team closer to a championship, headlined by its move for big man Deandre Ayton.
If the Heat want to reunite with James but don’t get a chance to do so in the near future, they could still try to make a push for him in the 2026 offseason if he hits free agency and remains interested in continuing his NBA career.