LeBron James Breaks Silence on Trade Speculation After Post on Friday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. When LeBron James exercised his $52.6 million player option to return to the Los Angeles Lakers for his 23rd NBA season, most assumed that there would be no more questions about where he would play next.

LeBron James becoming available has, typically, been a seismic NBA event. Teams famously spent the several years leading up to his 2010 free agency clearing cap space. Pretty much all league business halted for the first 11 days of July in 2014 as teams schlepped across the country first to Cleveland and then,

Like sharks sensing a presence in the water, Rich Paul's cryptic statement that accompanied LeBron James' decision to opt in to his $52.6 million salary for next season led some teams to call the Los Angeles Lakers about the four-time NBA MVP's availability.