![\"jaden](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2192072880-e1775160134825.jpg\")
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The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> found themselves at the center of a viral rumor when false reports claimed that they had signed guard Jaden Ivey<\/a> to a one-year deal following his release by the Chicago Bulls<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fake social media posts mimicking insider scoops spread on social media suggesting that the 24-year-old guard was headed to Los Angeles on a guaranteed contract. But Ivey has not signed with the Lakers and remains a free agent.<\/p>\n A Reddit user jokingly said<\/a>, \u201cGuard Jaden Ivey is expected to sign a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers upon clearing waivers tomorrow, sources tell ESPN. Ivey will look for a fresh start after recent troubling off-court behavior that led to his exit from the Chicago Bulls<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n An X user quipped<\/a> that Ivey is closing in on a deal with L.A. worth over $6 million: \u201cBREAKING: Jaden Ivey is nearing a one-year, $6.5M deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, expected to sign once he clears waivers after a controversial exit from Chicago. God\u2019s name will be glorified at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n The shenanigans came merely days after Ivey\u2019s controversial Instagram Live video led to his waiver, turning what appeared to be a straightforward free-agent signing into the latest April Fools\u2019 prank circulating across various online platforms.\u00a0<\/p>\n Unpacking Ivey\u2019s controversial remarks and Bulls departure<\/p>\n Ivey, a former No. 5 pick, showed flashes for the Detroit Pistons<\/a>, but they traded him to Chicago in February 2026, and he appeared in just four games with the Bulls before being waived.\u00a0<\/p>\n The controversial sequence began when Ivey took to Instagram Live to rant on how the NBA<\/a> celebrates Pride Month and shows it to the rest of the world.<\/p>\n He backed it with his Christian faith by arguing that professional success, including championship rings, held no eternal value without spiritual alignment.\u00a0<\/p>\n He specifically called out Stephen Curry<\/a>, LeBron James<\/a> and Michael Jordan<\/a>, stating their accolades \u201cwon\u2019t matter on Judgment Day.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n The Bulls acted within hours of the video\u2019s circulation and waived Ivey with the official statement saying it was conduct that violated team standards.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ivey has stood by his actions despite the outcome which saw him without an NBA team attached to his name.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ivey\u2019s NBA future remains uncertain<\/p>\n The next phase for Ivey is to find a team.\u00a0<\/p>\n At his best, he remains a decent player to have in the roster with his explosiveness and athleticism.\u00a0<\/p>\n The promises were there as a rookie when he averaged double figures in points per game and showcased a playmaking upside.\u00a0<\/p>\n Averaging 11.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists in four games for Chicago isn\u2019t enough. But just like with the Bulls, there is a risk factor with Ivey, both on the court with injuries and off the court as well with his beliefs.\u00a0<\/p>\n There is also the overseas route which has been a sort of safety haven for many players who didn\u2019t succeed with an NBA career. Ivey could go on that route if no team is willing to have him on the roster.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAdel Ahmad<\/a> Adel is a writer with over five years of experience covering the NBA. His work has appeared on various media platforms, both national and local. More about Adel Ahmad<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lakers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Los Angeles Lakers found themselves at the center of a viral rumor when false reports claimed that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":694691,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3771],"tags":[7,920,919,329,3824,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-694690","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-bulls","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-bulls","10":"tag-chicago","11":"tag-chicago-bulls","12":"tag-chicagobulls","13":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116337312608220522","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/694690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=694690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/694690\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/694691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=694690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=694690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=694690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}