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LeBron James favored to remain with Lakers, Cavaliers given 10-1 odds as trade destination

According to Bovada, the Cleveland Cavaliers possess 10-1 odds of being LeBron James' team for the first game of the 2019-20 season.

LeBron James hasn't demanded a trade.

At least not yet.

But given the apparent dysfunction surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers, some have begun to call for the 4-time MVP to request a trade from his current team, while ESPN's Stephen A. Smith going as far as to say that some in the organization have already suggested to owner Jeanie Buss that she should be the one initiate a deal.

Either way, James' future with basketball's most famous franchise suddenly seems cloudy. And while the betting odds suggest it's most likely James will remain in Los Angeles, they've also begun to entertain the possibility that he'll open the 2019-20 NBA season on a different team.

Credit: AP
Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James during an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Hours after the Lakers reached a public impasse with former Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue in their coaching search, Bovada released odds for which team James will be on when the next NBA season begins. At -600, the Lakers are a heavy favorite to keep the 15-time All-Star, with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers listed as his most likely suitors at +700.

Behind the Knicks and Lakers are James' two former teams, with the Cavs and Miami Heat each given +1000 odds of reacquiring the 3-time NBA champion. For the gambling uninitiated, a bettor would need to risk $600 to make a $100 profit off James remaining while the Lakers, while a $100 bet on him joining the Knicks or Clippers would payout $700.

Successful $100 bets on either the Cavs or Heat, meanwhile, would result in a $1,000 return.

Other teams listed in Bovada's latest round of odds include the Chicago Bulls (+1500) and Indiana Pacers (+1800).

Credit: AP
FILE - In this Dec. 23, 2018, file photo, Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James stands during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies in Los Angeles. James is sorry for posting a lyric that referenced "Jewish money." The Los Angeles Lakers star says he simply got caught up in the music, thought the lyric was a "compliment" and offers "apologies, for sure." The lyric comes from the song "ASMR" by rapper 21 Savage. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

For what it's worth, such odds are often only created for entertainment purposes or in order to draw attention to the online sportsbook offering them. But it's interesting, nonetheless, that these odds are being offered and that Cleveland has been given the third-best chance of landing James should he be moved.

Asked last summer about the possibility of a return to the Cavs at the end of his career, James told WKYC's Amani Abraham he wouldn't rule it out.

"I don't close [any] chapters," he said. "I don't [close any] doors."

What are the chances such return could occur this offseason? Apparently, 10-1.

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