James enters free agency next summer with rumours rife that he could once again depart Cleveland.
And speculation surrounding his future escalated this week following an interview published in GQ magazine.
After his four-year stint with the Miami Heat he returned to the Cavaliers stating he wanted to bring “one trophy back to Northeast Ohio” – an achievement he accomplished in 2016.
And when asked if he owed the city of Cleveland anything, James insisted he “owes nobody anything”.
This summer has seen NBA reporters claim James’ move to the Lakers is a done deal but former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen doesn’t believe there is currently enough in place to make Los Angeles an attractive proposition.
“If this certain player you’re talking about is going to go there, he’s going to need some better pieces than what they’ve got now,” Pippen told The Jump.
“I will say LBJ, Five years ago – yes you can come to the Lakers and help them now but I’m not sure if they can help this Lakers team right now.”
And Byron Scott, who won three NBA titles with the Laker, believes if James joins the Lakers, he could end up missing out on his the Finals.
“Those guys as veteran players, that we know are some of the best free agents, that may be thinking of coming to Los Angeles, they’re going to look at the body of work that’s being done.
“They’re going to look at Game one and say ‘ok these guys didn’t look very good and lets see if they progress throughout the season and if I decide to make that jump, are these guys on this team that I can help to get to the next level’.
“LBJ is unbelievable but if you come to the West with this current roster, you’re not even getting to the Finals.
“You might want to stay on that East coast where you can get to another finals.”