Inside The Heat

"Bad Blood" Likely Prevents LeBron James Returning To Miami Heat

Bryan Townes|
Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) and guard Mike Conley (10) during the second half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) and guard Mike Conley (10) during the second half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

At 40, LeBron James is still arguably one of the 10 best players in the NBA. However, with his advancing age and the Lakers building around superstar Luka Doncic James may consider asking for a trade.

CBS Sports ranked the Miami Heat among the top 10 most likely trade destinations. The article suggested “bad blood” may still affect James’ decision if the Heat would even welcome a return, as they are currently focusing on their future core. 

“Pat Riley has openly said that he'd welcome a return from James to Miami,” the article wrote. “If James was willing to forgive Dan Gilbert, he'd likely be open to forgiving anyone if it suited him. But Miami isn't his hometown. He has less of a reason to return there than he did in Cleveland. But James has said -- without naming names -- that he was hurt by some of the reactions people in Miami gave him when he left.”

Three months ago, James made an appearance on the Pat McAfee show and explained how controlling Riley is as the president of the Heat. It's on the board a potential return to the team may be one of his last seasons in the league. James may not want to deal with the stress of dealing with Riley’s requirements this late in his career.

“Riley is notoriously hands-on when it comes to micromanaging even the smallest details in Miami,” the article continued. “He even took away LeBron's chocolate chip cookies. James is in his 40s. It's hard to imagine he has the patience for that anymore, especially for a sub-.500 Heat team.”

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Bryan Townes
BRYAN TOWNES

Bryan attended Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia with a focus on sports management. While he didn't grow up an NBA fan, he became one after playing the popular NBA2K video game. From Jimmy Butler to Ray Allen to Chris Bosh, Bryan has followed the Heat for the past several years.

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