Speculations abound that four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James is considering an exit from the Cavaliers once again if he would feel that he is being "taken for granted" by the franchise in his quest to bring an NBA championship to Cleveland.

USA Today cited broadcaster Stephen A. Smith as the source of the rumors, when Smith said on ESPN radio that LeBron could "get so annoyed" and could leave Cleveland again "if he feels like he's being taken for granted, ran into the ground and, essentially, misused".

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"I will tell you this: LeBron never once promised to retire a Cleveland Cavalier. His mission is to come back and deliver a Championship to the city of Cleveland, I don't see him departing before that happens unless he believes there's no hope or something else happens with Dan Gilbert," Smith said in the clip.

One rumor circling around the league is that James could return to Miami, where he won his two NBA titles so far, to reunite with Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and head coach Erik Spoelstra.

His recent trip to South Florida to visit and work out with long-time championship buddy D-Wade after the All-Star break sparked a lot of rumors of a potential reunion, as per The Big Lead.

The Cavaliers remain on top of the Eastern Conference mountain this season with a 44-18 slate even as the team fired the architect of their runner-up finish last season, David Blatt, and had former NBA player Tyronn Lue as replacement.

James is still his regular dominating self, averaging 24.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.6 assists in more than 35 minutes a night in 59 games so far for the Cavs while the other members of the Big Three, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love have also been productive.

And even though the team is still a lock to represent the East in the NBA Finals this June, all indicators point out that they still cannot beat the defending champions Golden State Warriors, which is perhaps the main reason why the rumors about James leaving Cleveland again have surfaced.

Bleacher Report noted that James "has expressed his commitment to helping the Cavs win a championship ever since his return, but the fact that LeBron has given himself a potential out in his contract means that nothing is guaranteed".

It just means that if he had done it before, he could do it again under the same intentions and circumstances.

TagsNBA Free-Agency Rumors, Cavaliers Free-Agency Rumors, cleveland cavaliers, Lebron James, Miami Heat