Like sharks sensing a presence in the water, Rich Paul's cryptic statement that accompanied LeBron James' decision to opt in to his $52.6 million salary for next season led some teams to call the Los Angeles Lakers about the four-time NBA MVP's availability.

The company is backed by Rich Paul, and was tagged by James in a one-word post on Friday: "Yessir," James wrote, tagging the company's two affiliated accounts on X.

Brian Windhorst said on ESPN Cleveland that the superstar and the Lakers are "beginning to move apart" and that this is the beginning of the end of his time with the franchise (h/t Lakers Daily ).