LeBron James exercised the player option on his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for 2025-26, but that doesn’t necessarily lock in his future. According to his representation, James has been monitoring the moves that the team is making this NBA offseason, and could ask to be traded if things don’t go the way he prefers.
Cavaliers, Warriors Among NBA Teams Interested In LeBron James
A report released on Sunday stated that four teams have put inquiries in with James’ agent Rich Paul about his star client.
One of them is the team that drafted him. The Cleveland Cavaliers were the top team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season last year, but came up well short of expectations in the playoffs. They are apparently interested in bringing in LeBron James for a third stint with his hometown team, and would make themselves one of the favorites in the weakened East.
REPORT: The Mavericks, Warriors, Cavaliers, and Clippers all contacted Rich Paul about trading for LeBron James, per @ScoopB.
(h/t @Fullcourtpass) pic.twitter.com/DgRqtm6npv
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 13, 2025
Cleveland is the only Eastern Conference team on the reported list. The other three NBA teams are the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers.
Both the Warriors and Clippers are looking for another piece to elevate them into championship contention. The Warriors have two aging stars in Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, and could have a far different roster in a couple of years. Would bringing in the NBA all-time leading scorer help masks the team’s deficiencies when it comes to depth?
The Clippers are tooling their roster and payroll in order to have big cap space during the summer of 2027, but are still contenders in the West with the players they have now. James Harden and Kawhi Leonard proved to be a solid pairing in 2024-25, and bringing in LeBron would only help elevate them.
The Warriors contacted Rich Paul about trading for LeBron James. pic.twitter.com/73Cfbo1uJT
— De🅿️ressed Warriors Fan 💔 (@GoIdenState) July 13, 2025
Both Golden State and Los Angeles would be full of older stars, but could be willing to sacrifice a portion of their future in order to compete for a title next spring.
The Mavericks have re-tooled this summer as well, and have some pieces in place that could help them make a run. Number one overall draft pick Cooper Flagg is now in the mix, along with Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson. Add in Kyrie Irving, who should be returning at some point towards the end of the season, and Dallas could be a place where LeBron James is interested in spending his final NBA season.
