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Ty Lue Reacts to LeBron James Potentially Joining Clippers, Cavaliers

Los Angeles Clippers coach Ty Lue had some interesting comments regarding the team's interest in James
Grant Mona|
Feb 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) defends LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
Feb 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) defends LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images | Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles ClippersLos Angeles LakersCleveland Cavaliers

A new offseason and a new LeBron James story. This appears to be the pattern throughout James' illustrious career, but this time, there are new connections and theories.

James is still playing at an extremely high level at 40 years old. The 2025-26 season will be his 23rd season in the NBA, but he just earned Second Team All-NBA honors in the 2024-25 season.

Although rumors of teams gearing up to acquire the 40-year-old have died down moving into the new season, many are still questioning his intentions moving forward.

The Lakers Dilemma

The Lakers did their part in the 2025 offseason. Sure, there were no flashy moves, but they acquired a young center in DeAndre Ayton, who is looking to prove many wrong, added Jake LaRavia to replace Dorian Finney-Smith, and signed Marcus Smart on a minor contract for defensive purposes.

While the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets all loaded up their rosters to be able to compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers are right in that mix to be a team that can make noise in the playoffs.

James Trains At An Old Clippers Facility

With the Clippers relocating to their beautiful new home at Intuit Dome across the freeway this past season, they have no need for their old facilities.

Klutch Sports, James and CEO Rich Paul's agency group, purchased the Clippers' old facility to use for their players now that the Clippers have their own state-of-the-art courts and offices in Inglewood, California.

When James posted a photo of himself at their old facility, with the Clippers branding still covering the walls and equipment, the alarms sounded across the media.

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue appeared on "Club Shay Shay," and when he was asked about the appearance, Lue, who is signed to Klutch, had some interesting remarks.

“I don’t even know if I can speak on that...I can’t say nothing about that.”

When asked about James leaving for the Cleveland Cavaliers again, Lue said, "Going back to Cleveland? Um, I don't know."

James is on a $52.6 million contract in the 2025-26 season with a full no-trade clause, so any team, including the Clippers and Cavaliers, would have to gut their roster to acquire the future Hall-of-Fame in a trade.

With the Clippers reloading their roster and adding much-needed depth, it is hard to see them tearing that down, even for a player like James.

Would James Even Work On The Clippers?

For the Clippers to even bring in James, the trade would more than likely be a swap of Kawhi Leonard for the Lakers star. With James' career more than likely coming to an end in the next two seasons, it wouldn't be a smart move for the Clippers, especially given that he's on an expiring contract.

Nonetheless, the Clippers aren't in need of any more ball-handlers, especially after adding Chris Paul to serve as their primary ball-handler off the bench. Therefore, not only is a move for James just extremely unlikely, but it would likely throw off the dynamic of the Clippers as well.

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Grant Mona
GRANT MONA

Grant Mona is a multimedia sports journalist based in Los Angeles, covering multiple teams. He is a co-host and producer on The Sporting Tribune Today on The BET Las Vegas, KIRN 670 in Southern California and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network. He formerly played baseball with the University of the Pacific Tigers.

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