LeBron James teased a change to his jersey number on Twitter, and some fans think it's a hint that the Lakers will sign Kawhi Leonard
- NBA fans believe a cryptic tweet LeBron James sent on Friday was meant to tease the coming arrival of Kawhi Leonard, who the Lakers hope to sign in free agency.
- James tweeted out the number six and the prayer-hands emoji - imagery that Drake has regularly used throughout his career.
- Others believe James' tweet was simply meant to show that he would be donning the No. 6 jersey this season.
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The Los Angeles Lakers were the first team to make a splash in the NBA offseason, trading away young players and picks to bring Anthony Davis to the purple and gold.
Since then, the Lakers have stayed busy, pulling off several moves in the span of just a few hours on Thursday that put the team in position to sign another superstar and form a new "Big 3" alongside Davis and LeBron James.
Read more: The Lakers made 2 huge moves in a matter of hours that set them up perfectly to add another big star
One critical part of the Lakers having enough space to bring in another player was Anthony Davis' decision to waive a $4 million trade kicker that he was entitled to, giving Los Angeles the $32 million necessary to offer a max deal to a potential incoming free agent.
When news broke that James had opted to give Davis No. 23 just hours after Davis gave up his $4 million bonus, fans on Twitter were quick to get conspiratorial, believing the two decisions were related.
A cryptic tweet from LeBron kicked speculation into high gear
NBA fans might have left things there, but a cryptic tweet from James late Thursday night kicked those conspiracy theories up another level.
The number six. The prayer-hands emoji.
To some casual observers, the message read as a tease of James' new number - since he was giving up No. 23 to Davis, James would be returning to his days of wearing No. 6, this time for the Lakers.
But others believed that the tweet went beyond that, serving as a signal that Kawhi Leonard would be joining James and Davis in Los Angeles.
Leonard just won the NBA championship with the Raptors, with the city of Toronto known as "The Six," a nickname popularized by Raptors superfan Drake.
James' tweet used the prayer-hands emoji, evoking an image Drake has used throughout his career - on record covers and even a tattoo on his forearm.
Conspiriatorial fans think Kawhi Leonard is coming to the Lakers
Aspiring internet sleuths put these facts together and came to the conclusion that LeBron James was teasing not just his new jersey number, but the arrival of Leonard in Los Angeles.
LeBron could have just been making a winking joke
The Lakers will certainly do all they can to bring Leonard to Los Angeles, as his presence on the roster would immediately make them favorites to win the title in 2020.
That said, there's plenty of reasons to believe that Leonard joining a Lakers superteam is still far from becoming a reality. After their title run, some believe the Raptors are the favorites to keep Leonard on his next contract, and given the massive deal he could sign in the summer of 2020 should he return to Toronto for just one more season.
Chances are, LeBron was simply making a winking joke with his tweet, while at the same time hoping he can convince Leonard to join the team when they meet in the offseason.
We won't know anything for certain until free agency begins in full on Sunday, but until then, there's sure to be more clues on Twitter to tide fans over.
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