The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the offseason without a lot of money to spend.
They also had some big question marks, as Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen were missing in action when it mattered most, again.
With that in mind, some speculated that they could look to make a run at LeBron James since all the rumors point to him not being happy with the Los Angeles Lakers.
And according to a report by Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson (via ESPN Cleveland), the Cavs reached out to the Lakers to inquire about a potential trade for James.
The Cavs were indeed one of the teams who reached out to Rich Paul about trading for LeBron James, per @ScoopB https://t.co/3n20BirXIQ pic.twitter.com/szzXHekl7c
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 13, 2025
James’ agent, Rich Paul, confirmed that he hadn’t requested a trade, but he also said that they didn’t ask for another year or a contract extension with the organization.
He put some pressure on the front office by stating that James wanted to play for a championship-caliber roster.
Then again, Brian Windhorst reported that the Lakers look just fine with the idea of James walking away and leaving after this season, as they’ve now pivoted towards the Luka Doncic era.
James has a no-trade clause, so he would have to agree to any potential trade, assuming the Lakers even want to trade him.
Nevertheless, as heartwarming as it might be to watch him retire with his hometown team, giving up multiple assets and valuable players to land him on a one or two-year rental might not be in this team’s best interest.
As wide-open as the Eastern Conference looks, that move may not be what they need to get back to the top.
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