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"I DON’T CARE": LEBRON JAMES LAUGHS OFF TRADE RUMORS AFTER CLIPPERS LOSS

LeBron James faces an uncertain future as the Lakers transition to Luka Doncic. Discover the latest trade deadline buzz for 2026.

"I don’t care": LeBron James laughs off trade rumors after Clippers loss
Breaking down LeBron James’ $51 million expiring contract

LeBron James is heading into the last year of his contract with the Lakers, and everyone’s buzzing about what’s next—retirement, a farewell tour, or maybe even finishing his career somewhere else.

People have been talking about LeBron’s future in L.A. for years. He’s under contract through summer 2026, but as the 2025-26 season goes on, the rumours just keep heating up. Is this it for LeBron in purple and gold? Or is he eyeing a new home before it’s all said and done?

Things really picked up after ESPN’s Baxter Holmes dropped a report about some behind-the-scenes tension. Supposedly, Lakers governor and minority owner Jeanie Buss isn’t thrilled with LeBron lately—something about feeling underappreciated, not enough accountability, and, well, a little too much ego on his part.

Right now, LeBron’s in year two of a two-year, $101 million deal. He loves these short-term contracts—keeps his options open. He picked up his player option, but there’s no extension, so he’s set to be a free agent in the summer of 2026. That just adds more fuel to the fire: Where’s he going to finish his career? Or does he even make it to 2026 with the Lakers?

After the ESPN story, chatter about an earlier exit got louder. Some folks are even saying LeBron and the Lakers could split before the February 5 trade deadline. That’s not exactly easy, though—he’s got a no-trade clause, so both sides would have to sign off.

After dropping a 112-104 game to the Clippers, reporters pushed LeBron on the trade deadline. He just laughed it off at first. “What are you saying? Oh shit, don’t do that. I’m just playing,” he joked.

Pressed again about whether he still wants to be in L.A., LeBron kept it short and didn’t give much away. “I’m good, I’m good… I’m good,” he said. Not exactly a full-throated commitment.

And it’s not just Lakers fans wondering what’s next. That same ESPN report said Buss once thought about trading LeBron to the Clippers back in 2022. Now, four years later, a split doesn’t sound so crazy. LeBron’s 41, and if he leaves L.A., he’s already linked to a few teams. The Warriors come up a lot—pairing up with his buddy Steph Curry would be a wild headline.

NBA insider Jake Fischer says if the Warriors make a run at LeBron, it’ll likely be in the offseason, not before the trade deadline. “Sources say that the Warriors naturally do plan to feature prominently in the offseason market for LeBron James once he becomes an unrestricted free agent on June 30,” Fischer reported.

After that Clippers loss, LeBron faced questions about the ESPN report and all the noise. He didn’t seem too bothered. “Quite frankly, I don’t really get involved in that, or the reports, or whatever the case may be. I’ve seen a lot of it, obviously,” he said. “You guys know me. You guys know, since I’ve been here—it’s my eighth year here—I’ve been in this league 23 years, there’s going to be another article tomorrow, especially involving me.”

“I don’t care about articles. I really don’t. I don’t care about stories, I don’t care about podcasts, and I don’t care about all that type of shit. It doesn’t bother me. I don’t care how somebody feels about me.”

And as things wrapped up, LeBron summed it up with a little humour, pointing to the words on his hoodie: “Everybody’s crazy.”

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES TRADE JAREN JACKSON JR. TO UTAH JAZZ IN 8-PLAYER BLOCKBUSTER

The Memphis Grizzlies have traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz, creating a record $28.8 million trade exception for 2026.

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Grizzlies finalise Jaren Jackson Jr. deal

The Memphis Grizzlies turned heads on Tuesday, pulling off a blockbuster trade that sent two-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr to the Utah Jazz. Along with Jackson, the Grizzlies shipped out Vince Williams Jr, John Konchar, and Jock Landale. Coming back their way: Walter Clayton Jr, Kyle Anderson, Georges Niang, and, maybe the most important part, three future first-round picks.

And honestly, it feels like Memphis isn’t done stirring the pot. Inside the organisation, they see Zach Edey and Cedric Coward as the future. Both went late in the lottery in the past two drafts, and the Grizzlies landed some value in the second round this year, too, grabbing Jaylen Wells and Cam Spencer.

All this movement means Ja Morant’s future in Memphis suddenly looks shaky. He’s been the face of the franchise since they took him No. 2 overall back in 2019. When he’s healthy, he’s electric—no question. But injuries and off-court drama have slowed him down, and now, with the trade deadline closing in, the Grizzlies are openly shopping him. Teams around the league are watching.

There’s another wrinkle here: by dealing Jackson, Memphis created a massive trade exception—$28.8 million, the biggest in NBA history, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Shams Charania. It’s a huge chess piece. With that exception, the Grizzlies can absorb big, ugly contracts from other teams in exchange for more draft picks. Think of what the Thunder did a few years back—stockpiling picks by taking on bad deals until they rebuilt into a contender.

Now, you’ve probably heard Giannis Antetokounmpo’s name floating around in trade rumours. He hasn’t officially asked out of Milwaukee, but everyone in the league expects something to happen soon. Teams like the Timberwolves and Knicks are circling. The Grizzlies? They’re not likely to chase Giannis directly. But with that trade exception, they could play a big role as a third team—taking on salary dumps or unwanted contracts, collecting more picks, and helping another franchise pull off the Giannis blockbuster. Memphis just put itself squarely in the middle of the NBA’s hottest rumour.

KLINT KUBIAK SNUBS NFL RIVALS TO LEAD RAIDERS’ NEW ERA UNDER TOM BRADY

The Las Vegas Raiders are zeroing in on Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak as their next head coach, with Tom Brady leading the search.

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Klint Kubiak is set for the Raiders as Seahawks coach faces the New England Patriots

The Las Vegas Raiders are in the middle of a huge shakeup right now. Klint Kubiak, the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, is set to become their new head coach—and honestly, he’s nothing like Pete Carroll.

Kubiak’s still in his 30s, calling plays on offence, while Carroll just wrapped up last season as the NFL’s oldest head coach. The Raiders had their eyes on Ben Johnson previous year, but when he decided to take the Bears job, they turned to Carroll instead.

This time, Las Vegas seemed to have that same level of interest in Kubiak, but they had to wait things out because Seattle was still in the playoffs. Tom Brady, who’s a minority owner with the Raiders, clearly played a big part in picking the new coach.

Since nothing’s official until after the Super Bowl, Brady can’t come right out and talk about Kubiak joining the team. Still, he didn’t hold back when it came to sharing what he liked about the guy.

“Klint’s played to his team’s strengths. Last week, he did a ton of good things against a really strong Rams defence,” Brady said on the “Let’s Go!” podcast. “That’s what it took for them to win. The Rams are a tough team. That game in Seattle could’ve gone either way... Seattle really had to play a complete game in all three phases to pull it out, and they’ll need to do the same this weekend in Santa Clara.”

Brady also talked about Fernando Mendoza.

Another big reason the Raiders’ coaching job is so appealing? They’ve got the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Everyone expects them to grab Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

Brady doesn’t have to be secretive about it—nobody’s jumping ahead of them in the draft. He was pretty open about how much he likes Mendoza.

“What do I value most? When I see him, he’s always talking up his teammates. He wins the Heisman, and he’s giving credit to everyone else,” Brady said. “That’s the kind of attitude you want in a leader.”

Kubiak focused on the Super Bowl, not the job switch.

Kubiak’s career is about to take off, but right now, he’s locked in on trying to win his first Super Bowl. So, he isn’t ready to talk about the Raiders just yet.

“I’m coaching the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, and that’s all I’m thinking about,” Kubiak told reporters on Monday. “I’m just excited for this week and this game.”

Not everyone in Seattle is thrilled to see Kubiak go. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold had nothing but praise after working with him this year.

“He was unbelievable,” Darnold said Monday. “The stuff I picked up from Klint—just with schemes, and then learning from him as a coach and a person—the grit. He’s up before the sun, gets to the facility at 4 or 4:30, and leaves later than anyone. The guy just grinds. He loves football, and he’s always straight with his players. I know I really appreciated that, and so did the rest of the guys.”

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