LeBron James Will Reportedly Not Waive No-Trade Clause Next Season, Despite Kyrie Irving Rumors

LeBron James has reportedly decided that he's unwilling to waive the no-trade clause in his contract for the Cavaliers next season.

LeBron James is one of only three NBA players with a no-trade clause built into his contract. LeBron, Dirk Nowitzki, and Carmelo Anthony have the ability to say, "Thanks, but no thanks," to any trades that their respective teams work out for them. And while you wouldn’t think that LeBron would ever have to actually worry about using his no-trade clause—why in the world would the Cavaliers ever even think about trading LeBron?!—there is now some speculation over whether or not LeBron would use it if the Cavs decided to trade him in light of the recent Kyrie Irving trade rumors.

ESPN reporter Chris Haynes is reporting that league sources have told him that LeBron is not going to waive his no-trade clause for any reason during the 2017-18 NBA season. The growing belief is that, if the Cavs decide to meet Irving’s trade demands and deal him, they could go into a full rebuild mode, especially since LeBron is scheduled to become a free agent next summer and could leave the team for the second time in his career. So trading LeBron could land them some key pieces that would make that rebuild a lot easier.

But LeBron doesn’t sound like he’s interested in leaving Cleveland at any point during the upcoming season. Regardless of whether the Cavs trade Irving or not, Haynes is reporting LeBron "is focused solely on competing for a championship as a member of the Cavs and will fulfill his contractual obligations, whatever unexpected circumstances may arise."

This should come as a bit of good news for Cavs fans who were blindsided by a report about Irving wanting to be traded this summer on Friday afternoon. If nothing else, it means they will be a title contender for at least one more season with LeBron on their team. But clearly, the Cavs’ future is in complete disarray, and there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding what it could hold for LeBron, Irving, and everyone else on the current roster.

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