"Since James makes more than any other Cavs player ($52.6 million), the Cavaliers cannot aggregate contracts since they are over the second apron. The only way for Cleveland to trade for James would be to send out enough salary to match his contract and get under the second apron, a line they are currently $18.7 million above.

LeBron James declared one aim above all others when he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014. "My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question," he explained in his now famous Sports Illustrated letter proclaiming his homecoming.

James’s agent, Rich Paul, released a statement along with the announcement from ESPN’s Shams Charania that made it clear his client “wants to compete for a championship” and that he understands that the Lakers are “preparing for the future.”