LeBron James is ‘poking the bear’ — NBA insider reveals how

LeBron James knows exactly what he’s doing.

ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst said there is meaning behind James’ recent actions, including a trip home to Ohio, while trade rumors swirl during a passive-aggressive spat with the Lakers despite exercising the $53 million option on his contract with the team for next season.

“LeBron absolutely knows that he will cause a wave with these social media things,” Windhorst said Tuesday on ESPN Cleveland. “On one hand, he is just coming home for the holiday. He is just doing something that he has done numerous times in the past. On the other hand, he is absolutely poking the bear and being passive aggressive. And by the way, the Lakers are being passive aggressive back at LeBron. They did not announce his option pickup. So, they’re both acting in the same way.”

James has been a major storyline this offseason even though he is seemingly not on the trade block and forwent free agency.

The 40-year-old teased potential retirement before he opted in for 2025-26, but that came with a veiled threat via his agent, Rich Paul, to the front office to build a better roster.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN in late June. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with (owner) Jeanie (Buss) and (general manager) Rob (Pelinka) and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.

“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”

Paul then further played up the trade angle by telling ESPN that four teams had reached out to him, though he did not have substantive talks with those teams nor the Lakers about a deal.

“Right now, LeBron is focused on playing on a championship-caliber roster,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said Paul told him. “Rich told me there’s no guarantees in building a championship-caliber roster, but we know what it looks like and it doesn’t look like and we’ll see in a week from now, when Rob Pelinka’s finished doing his work with this roster, even it looks like a winning, realistic situation.”

The Lakers have not had an overwhelming offseason, signing Deandre Ayton while losing Dorian Finney-Smith, among other transactions, raising even further questions about their ceiling.

James then further flamed any chatter last week by posing for a photo with a Cavaliers summer league invitee at the team’s facility in Ohio.

The Cavaliers could be in the market for a move to get them over the top and James would fit that bill, but he downplayed the visit as being anything more than a trip home.

“And every summer since it was built,” James wrote of visiting the facility. “I live here still and train every summer. Got damn yall bored man! Go get a plate of food somewhere and enjoy the 4th of July!”