Rich Paul, the agent for Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, reportedly had conversations with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors that were “very real” in the offseason.
According to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, James is enjoying his status at the moment. There was lots of chatter in the summer about James’ immediate future before he returned to the Lakers for the 2025-26 season.
LeBron James is currently enjoying his "OG in residence" status with the Lakers, but the trade winds were blowing harder than many realize. 💨
Multiple league sources tell me that Rich Paul’s conversations with the Mavs, Clippers, Warriors and Cavs this summer “were very real.”… pic.twitter.com/DoZbiFeeAh
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) January 2, 2026
James, 41, is in his 23rd season in the NBA, and he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season. Recently, an anonymous head coach said that he believes James can still help a team win, though league executives seem to think he’d need to take a pay cut to stay with the Lakers beyond this season. James could also retire or join another team in the offseason.
Meanwhile, the Cavs are off to a slow start in the 2025-26 season, winning just 19 of their first 35 games. Cleveland won 64 games and earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season, but it is just the No. 8 seed in the East so far this season.
Cleveland reportedly has received trade offers for players like Dean Wade and De’Andre Hunter, but it has yet to make a move to improve the roster this season.
James has appeared in 15 games this season after missing the start of the campaign with sciatica, but he’s rounding into form at the moment. The 21-time All-Star is now averaging 20.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 31.5 percent from beyond the arc.
He’s been even better over his last nine games, putting up 24.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game during that stretch. The Lakers are hoping that he can find the All-NBA form he had in the 2024-25 season so they can make a run in the Western Conference.
If James hits free agency in the offseason and opts to leave the Lakers, perhaps he could return to Cleveland for a swan song in the NBA. The league’s all-time leading scorer may have to take a pay cut regardless of where he lands, but he could look at the Cavs as a franchise that is capable of winning a title if he’s on the roster.
For now, both the Cavs and Lakers are looking to make the most of the 2025-26 season with the rosters they have at the moment.