NBA Rumors: LeBron James' Agent Informed Lakers That Star Would Attend Cavs Game

Since everything LeBron James does is extremely calculated, much is being made of him sitting courtside at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse to watch Game 4 between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.

Per ESPN's Brian Windhorst (starts at :50 mark), the Los Angeles Lakers were informed ahead of time by Rich Paul, James agent, that the 20-time All-Star would be going to the game.

Windhorst noted James and his wife, Savannah, were in Cleveland over the weekend to see their mothers for Mother's Day.

All eyes are going to be on James until he makes a decision about his future. He has been vague about what comes next since the Lakers' were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by the Denver Nuggets.

"I'm not going to answer that," James told reporters after Game 5 when asked if he considered the possibility that was his final appearance for the Lakers.

James has a $51.4 million player option for next season. If he decides to opt out and test the market, it will be his first time hitting free agency since 2018 when he originally signed with the Lakers.

The early indications are James will remain in Los Angeles. On a recent episode of the #thisleague UNCUTpodcast (starts at 15:00 mark), NBA insider Marc Stein said "all signals" right now point to the four-time MVP signing a new deal with the Lakers.

Per ESPN's Bobby Marks, James would be eligible to sign a three-year, $162 million contract with the Lakers if he opts out of his current deal. The $54 million average annual salary would be the eighth-highest among current contracts.

If Donovan Mitchell decides not to sign an extension this summer, the Cavaliers might be forced to trade him to avoid losing him in free agency in 2025 when he can opt out of his deal.

Trading Mitchell, who is owed $35.4 million next season, would free up plenty of money for the Cavs to at least have a chance to sign James.

It would seem unlikely James goes back to Cleveland at this point in his career, but that was a sentiment many people probably had in 2010 after Cavs governor Dan Gilbert posted an open letter on the team's website in which he called The Decision a "a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional" build up for a "cowardly betrayal."

There's nothing to suggest James is even considering playing for the Cavaliers right now, but he is at least doing a very good job of using them to increase the pressure on the Lakers going into a summer of uncertainty for the franchise.