"Spiciest trade deadline in NBA history" - LeBron James' friend makes major prediction on swirling rumors about Lakers star's retirement

Speculation continues to mount regarding LeBron James’ future in the league. Initially, many fans believed he might be preparing to join a new team after opting into his $52.6 million player option. Moreover, an insider reported that LeBron could be eyeing retirement after the 2025-26 season.

Anthony Abdul Alcindor, popularly known as CuffsTheLegend on X (formerly called Twitter), added another twist to the tale. Alcindor hinted at a potential trade involving his close friend LeBron as the popular content creator teased fans with talks of a major deal in the works.

“This will be the spiciest trade deadline in nba history,” he wrote.

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

Alcindor teased fans by quote-retweeting a post consisting of ClutchPoints' report from Brett Siegel discussing LeBron’s potential retirement.

"Many around the league are beginning to connect the dots that James may not sign another contract with the Lakers because he may not sign another contract at all," Brett Siegel reported.

"Everyone knows that retirement is on the horizon for LeBron, and multiple agents, scouts, and rival team representatives shared with ClutchPoints that they believe James is gearing up to announce he will retire after the 2025-26 season."

Amid all the chatter, LeBron James appeared unbothered as he attended the LA Lakers’ 2025 Summer League games to catch his son, Bronny James, in action. He was seen chatting with teammate Austin Reaves, welcoming LA’s newest addition Deandre Ayton and sharing a smile during his conversation with Rob Pelinka.

Fans react to news of LeBron James’ potential retirement

Social media exploded with reactions following the post about LeBron James possibly retiring. While many fans dismissed the speculations, others were visibly emotional.

James has been the subject of retirement rumors for years now. Still, he consistently silences doubters and seems to defy Father Time.

In the most recent season, he was selected to his 21st All-Star and All-NBA teams, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists. He also played 70 regular-season games and appeared in all five postseason matchups, showing no signs of a serious injury that could slow him down or force him to step away from the game.

About the author

Advait Jajodia is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over four years of experience in the field with The SportsRush.

Advait has a love of basketball that stems from playing the game, and has represented Mumbai North at the Inter-District State Championship and Maharashtra at the ASISC National Games.

His favorite team is the New Orleans Pelicans, although Advait also has an affinity for the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. His favorite player of all time was Kobe Bryant, as the Lakers legend's undeniable talent and mentality were just unignorable. As for players in the current game, Stephen Curry, Zion Williamson, Victor Wembanyama, and Kyrie Irving are top of Advait's list.

When not watching or writing about sports, Advait is a fan of true crime shows, board games and console gaming.

Know More

Los Angeles Lakers Fan? Check out the latest Lakers depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

Edited by Bhargav