NBA Insider On LeBron James Sitting Courtside At Cavaliers Game: "He's Gotta Be Up To Something"

Nobody knows how to stir up offseason drama like LeBron James.

The ex-Cavs star and current Lakers forward did just that on Monday night when he was in attendance alongside his wife Savannah and agent Rich Paul for the Cavaliers Game 4 matchup with the Boston Celtics. Naturally, James was greeted with a standing ovation from the Cleveland faithful after a short highlight reel of some of his greatest Cavaliers moments rolled on the video board.

Outside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in the void that is social media, speculation and rumors swirled about what James' flirtation with his former team meant for his future.

Fast forward to Monday morning and the subject is the lead story for many of the notable national sports shows, including ESPN's Get Up. That is where NBA Insider and fellow St. Vincent St. Mary's High School product stopped by to provide some insight into what James was doing courtside at a Cavs game.

While Windhorst shared the James and his wife were in Northeat Ohio to visit their mother's for Mother's Day over the weekend, he also couldn't help but feel like the situation was eerily similar to the last time James attended a Cavs game as a fan.

"The first thing I thought of was this moment 10 years ago where LeBron showed up to a game in Cleveland while he was a player for the Miami Heat to honor Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ Jersey retirement, his longtime teammate," said Windhorst. "And he got in a private plane, flew from Chicago over to Cleveland on an off night. Pat Riley was not happy. And a few months later he signed with the Cavs."

The vibes may be similar, but Windhorst did go on to break down the various factors that are in play regarding James' standing with his current team. The NBA's all-time leading scorer has a player option in his contract that he can decline to become a free agent for the third time in his career. It's expected that James' is going to do that no matter what, seeking what could potentially be one final max contract as he approaches the age of 40.

As Windhorst explained, he believes the problem isn't that the Lakers wouldn't pay him whatever he wants, but more so what they're able to do to improve the team.

"I don't think he's looking to influence [the coaching search] at all," Windhorst said. "I'm throwing that out ... I think the Lakers are gonna give LeBron whatever contract he wants. I don't think there's gonna be much negotiating, like with the terms. I'm throwing that out. We have two other things, one the Lakers making moves in the month of June heading up to the draft.

"On draft night they can trade three first-round picks. At the trade deadline, they did nothing and LeBron wasn't happy about it. So this little maneuver is mostly a bit of a thing for the Lakers. And then you have the Bronny [James] factor."

LeBron, of course, is on the record saying he would love to play with his son in the NBA. Windhorst, however, clarified that the father and son duo's agent, Paul, has made it clear they want Bronny to end up in an advantageous situation for himself.

There are a lot of moving parts here, and all of it at this point is very speculative. LeBron tends to keep a pretty tight circle when it comes to information about his intentions getting out. Windhorst, however, tends to be one of the closest insiders on all things LeBron James, making his stance that the four-time NBA champion did this for a reason is notable.

"He's extremely strategic and I wish I could tell you I knew exactly what he is doing," said Windhorst. "I don't pretend to know, but he's gotta be up to something.”