For the first time in his legendary career, LeBron James is facing real trade noise. Not from his camp, but from the outside world that sees an opening. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, four NBA teams have reached out to LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, in the last 24 hours regarding the possibility of a trade. While Paul confirmed these inquiries, he emphasized there were “no substantive conversations” and reiterated that LeBron hasn’t asked the Lakers for a trade. "When I talked to Rich, he told me that he has not had any discussion with the Lakers about wanting a trade. On the back end of this statement, he did say that four teams have contacted him in the last twenty-four hours wanting to talk trades, but Rich didn't have any substantive conversations with those teams either." "Right now, LeBron is focused on playing on a championship-caliber roster. Rich told me, like, there's no guarantees in building a championship-caliber roster, but we know what it looks like and what it doesn't look like." "And we'll see if, in a week from now, when Rob Pelinka is finished doing his work with this roster, if it looks like a winning, realistic situation." LeBron, who recently opted into his $52.6 million player option for the 2025–26 season, remains focused on playing for a championship-caliber team. That’s the key, not Los Angeles, not any specific city, just a title-contending roster. Rich Paul made it clear. That veiled warning set the league ablaze with speculation. After all, James has never been traded in his 22-year career. But this offseason is different. The Lakers, following the Luka Doncic blockbuster, are now committed to building around their 26-year-old superstar. And James, turning 41 in December, is no longer the front-office priority. He reportedly has no influence on free agency decisions this time, a major departure from past offseasons. And with the Lakers losing Dorian Finney-Smith to the Rockets and missing out on Clint Capela and Brook Lopez, their top center target is Deandre Ayton, who is also being pursued by the Milwaukee Bucks. The roster, as it stands, is alarmingly thin. Some believe this recent surge in trade speculation is LeBron’s camp applying pressure. As Bobby Marks noted, there’s little to no leaguewide appetite to trade for James, given his age, contract size, and no-trade clause. But if he wants out, he’ll choose his destination, and contenders like the Mavericks and Cavaliers are already being floated. Bill Simmons even proposed a wild three-team scenario to send LeBron back to Cleveland. Meanwhile, whispers have emerged, unverified, for now, about James and Austin Reaves not enjoying their on-court chemistry with Luka Doncic. That seems unlikely given James’ public admiration of Luka, but the fit is still up for debate. Bottom line: this is no longer just offseason chatter. Four teams reaching out in 24 hours, while Rich Paul and LeBron publicly challenge the Lakers to build a winning roster now, is not normal. James may not want to leave Los Angeles. But if Pelinka can’t retool fast enough, and if the team looks anything like it does now, come training camp, the greatest player of his era could be on the move. He has the power. And four teams just made it clear, they’re ready to talk.
There was a time when internet sensation Cleetus McFarland wanted to race in the NASCAR Cup Series and compete in the Daytona 500. That was before he made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Daytona in February. "Now that I'm in this, I don't want to race Cup at all," McFarland told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. "That's terrifying to me. Those guys are so... the gap between my still and those guys is massive." That's because McFarland has seen firsthand how difficult it is to race at the highest levels of NASCAR. He'll get to experience that again on Saturday at Rockingham Speedway, where he'll make his NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with Richard Childress Racing. Still, with only five ARCA Menards Series starts and a very short-lived Truck Series debut under his belt in regard to stock car experience, McFarland is taking things slower than he used to. ARCA is Cleetus McFarland's best friend "I have no desire to race [in the O'Reilly Series)," McFarland said. "I love ARCA. I'm like ARCA's number one fan. It's so fun. The competition is relatively easy for me to keep up with right now." Should McFarland's NOAPS debut go smoothly on Saturday, he'll also drive the No. 33 RCR Chevy at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25. His deal with RCR could see him run up to four NOAPS races this season and in 2027 as well.
Thursday continues to get a whole lot better for Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Konnor Griffin. After learning he would be making his MLB debut in the team’s home opener against the Baltimore Orioles, a nice payday is now heading his way. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, Griffin and the Pirates have agreed to a nine-year contract. This means Griffin will be bought out of some free agency years to remain in Pittsburgh for the long haul. An eye-opening dollar figure is part of the deal, as Griffin will make $140 million before taking the field as a big leaguer. Griffin was thought to be a candidate to make the Pirates’ Opening Day roster. However, they sent him down to Triple A for what turned out to be around a week. Turns out, five games in Indianapolis were enough for Griffin as he batted .438 with three doubles and three stolen bases in just 21 plate appearances. Five walks were drawn as well, compared to four strikeouts. The future for Griffin is considered incredibly bright. Pittsburgh has been an organization in need of a spark in recent seasons. Paul Skenes provided one right out of LSU. The former No. 1 overall pick was at the MLB level less than a year after being drafted and is now widely considered a top-two pitcher in baseball. Pittsburgh is hoping Griffin’s outlook is similar to Skenes. Just in a different area, as a spark in the lineup has been what’s missing for the Pirates. “He’s the best prospect in baseball,” MLB insider Ken Rosenthal said on "Foul Territory" during spring training. “Consensus No. 1 prospect. Around the Pirates, there is a lot of talk about him, a lot of excitement about him. They believe, potentially, he could be a unicorn along the lines of Paul Skenes. The hitting version of Paul Skenes. Now, that’s a lot to ask, obviously.” Griffin is hoping to do a lot more than just help the Pirates in 2026. His reported contract runs through the 2035 season. At just 18 years old, Griffin will still be on the more favorable side of his prime when hitting free agency. Who knows what a second contract will look like for him with nearly a decade of experience under his belt. But for now, you have to imagine his focus is on putting together a solid MLB debut. Griffin will take the field at PNC Park around 4:12 p.m. ET, setting up shop at his new shortstop home.
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted quarterback Will Howard with the 185th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The sixth-round pick was a national champion at Ohio State, but found himself slipping towards the end of the draft. Fans and brass alike seem to have a lot of confidence in Howard based on his collegiate performances, despite never having played an NFL snap. Pittsburgh is still waiting on Aaron Rodgers, but it is trending towards him coming back, according to speculation. This puts Howard as a backup once again; however, he could be healthy for the preseason this go-around. Howard missed out on the preseason last year due to a finger injury. The young quarterback missed out on a lot of valuable snaps and the ability to show what he can do on a big stage. It seemed like Howard had a good camp in 2025, and being able to see him against other NFL talent would've been a great evaluation tool for the Steelers' coaches and front office. With the hiring of new head coach Mike McCarthy, there's a chance for Howard to really develop. McCarthy offered some words of encouragement to Howard during the NFL Coaches Breakfast. Even saying that, Howard would not have been there as late as the sixth round if he were the coach last year. McCarthy is widely known for his skill of getting the best out of all the signal-callers he coaches, and Howard could be no exception. The Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac talked about a glaring skill that Howard needs to work on to be a starter during an episode of the Chipped Ham Football show. "What [Mike McCarthy] feels that Will Howard needs to do is he has to improve his footwork. Improve his footwork coming back from under center and out of the pocket. He talks about that all the time. You see Aaron Rodgers is so good at that. It's why he's Aaron Rodgers. I think those are the things they're looking for from Will Howard to be a successful starting quarterback," Dulac said. Since Howard hasn't gotten the reps or a full offseason of camp due to his injury, there are some things that the coaches want to see him work on. Howard is a rather raw prospect, but his intangibles, like his big frame and ability to win big games, make him so intriguing. McCarthy and his staff will continue to work with him on fundamentals, and he could be a diamond in the rough draft pick for Pittsburgh. The Black and Gold have yet to find their long-term quarterback for the future, and have been relying on "band-aids" under center the last few seasons. If Howard wants to be a candidate for the next Steelers quarterback, he'll have to continue to develop. His footwork will be a huge piece to that, and he has the perfect person to learn from if Rodgers signs back with the franchise. Steelers' Rodgers Can Continue To Be A Great Mentor For Howard As Dulac mentioned, Rodgers is one of the greatest quarterbacks ever when it comes to moving his feet and his pocket presence. Rodgers was there in 2025 to teach Howard, and if it can happen again in 2026, then that's even better. Howard can learn extremely valuable advice and skills from Rodgers. A future Hall of Famer is just what a young gunslinger needs to be successful. The Steelers will have to evaluate the future of the quarterback position after this season for sure. Howard could find himself making his case if his camp and preseason go well. Rodgers and McCarthy's teachings will be a great tool for him, and there is a real shot that he could be who the Steelers go with next, unless they decide on drafting one highly in 2027. The future is Howard's, and he's set up wonderfully in Pittsburgh.
