LeBron James: Where will the NBA’s biggest star play next?

As James ponders his future, every tweet and quote is interpreted as some kind of sign.

When his wife Savannah sent out an Instagram message reading “Home sweet home” on returning to Akron for a summer visit, it caused a seismic internet reaction, with many believing it indicated James might be moving back to Cleveland.

Before then, Heat team president Pat Riley, a basketball legend himself, had issued a public challenge to James.

“This is hard, building championships, and you’ve got to stay together if you’ve got the guts and you don’t find the first door and run out of it,” he said.

Many wondered how James might react but, when the NBA draft was held on Thursday, Riley sent a more conciliatory message.

James tweeted in April about his admiration for University of Connecticut point guard Shabazz Napier.

Sure enough, Riley swung a trade with Charlotte Bobcats to get Napier with the 24th pick.

James was delighted, prompting speculation he would remain at Miami after all. “He’s not going anywhere,” ESPN’s Jalen Rose said during the draft coverage.

Complicating the James question are the NBA’s Byzantine rules that manage how and how much teams can spend on players.

Unlike sports such as football, the NBA is financially structured so the richest teams cannot outspend rivals for the best players.

Each team has the same salary cap, which was $58.7m last year.

That is expected to increase to about $63m for the forthcoming season, but any team signing James would have to trade other players to make financial room for him.