NBA megastar LeBron James may end up on his way out of the Los Angeles Lakers at the end of the season, with the 37-year-old's no-trade clause in his contract expiring. James has voiced his displeasure at decisions made by the front office this season, as the Lakers appear set to miss out on the Play-Offs again.
The Lakers are yet to make a meaningful trade this season to bolster their roster, despite James saying on numerous occasions he didn't want to waste the last few years of his career.
As a result, there are suggestions he could look to move on next year in order to prolong his career at the top if the Lakers miss out on the play-offs. Mirror Sport has taken a look at four teams he could join if he departs the Crypto.com Arena.
Cleveland Cavaliers
An emotional return to the Cleveland Cavaliers could be on the cards for James if he chooses to leave the Lakers. The Cavaliers have looked good this year after trading for Donovan Mitchell, and are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavs have positioned themselves to have a huge amount of salary cap room for next summer in order to go after a superstar free agent, but could potentially offset that if they were to make a trade with the Lakers.
Reports suggested in the summer that the Cavaliers had closed the door on the possibility of James ever returning, so it seems to be unlikely he'll head home again, but ultimately the opportunity to have Ohio's hometown hero end his career where it started may be too strong to reject.
New York Knicks
James and the Knicks have been linked no less than three times now, and at one point it seemed inevitable that The King would be playing at the Garden.
Back in 2010, the Knicks pushed hard to sign him in free agency, even bringing in James Gandolfini to act out a mock scene from the Sopranos in order to try and convince him to join.
James told Dwyane Wade after their last game against each other that it was either going to be at Staples Center "or the garden" - though he later walked back that comment, suggesting those were the only two venues worthy of hosting the duel between the two legends.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are at rock bottom right now. The former Western Conference champions are sat towards bottom of the entire NBA rankings with an appalling record of 10 wins and 25 defeats.
They're currently positioned to get one of the top picks in next year's draft, and have a team of young prospects, and are positioned to add some larger contracts next year.
If the Lakers were to go into rebuild mode, swapping James for a top pick could be a legitimate possibility.
The Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls, like the Rockets, are on the brink of rebuild and are close to pushing the reset button. There have already been reports this season suggesting they could look to trade Zach LeVine and DeMar DeRozan to the Lakers in exchange for Russell Westbrook, and getting James for a year could give them a good opportunity to compete for a year during that rebuilding phase.
For James, a move to the Bulls would give him the chance to potentially compete for another title in another franchise and cement his legacy - in the venue his generational rival Michael Jordan won six titles in.
