- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,193,704
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
May 1, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Lebron James (23) prior to game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. © Erik Williams-Imagn Images
LeBron James has been the talk of the town in recent days after informing the Los Angeles Lakers that he wouldn’t be returning next season. The four-time NBA champion announced he would be suiting up for the 2026-27 season, but it won’t be with Los Angeles.
The Golden State Warriors have been heavily linked to James, and the noise has only grown louder since Draymond Green declined his player option, giving the Dubs more financial flexibility. However, an NBA insider claims James’ move to the Bay may not happen after all, as the Cleveland Cavaliers have emerged as the frontrunners to sign him.
LeBron James Likely to Join the Cavaliers?
James has been spending time in Northeast Ohio over the past week, but that’s nothing new for the Akron native during the NBA offseason. However, NBA insider Marc Stein notes that the belief in NBA circles is that James may be gearing up to return to Cleveland.
“James has been spotted in Northeast Ohio multiple times over the past week, which has only amplified the notion that he is indeed strongly weighing a third stint with the Cavaliers… even though it is completely normal for him to return to his home state in the offseason to reconnect with Akron and thus might just be one of those trips,” Stein wrote in his report.
“Yet there is certainly a growing belief among teams competing for James’ signature that the lure of the 41-year-old playing out his final chapter with the team that drafted him, compared to, say, early favorites Golden State, is looking more and more like the scenario to beat.”
The Cavs made the Eastern Conference Finals this past season with Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, and the roster is built to contend. Adding James to that group dramatically changes their ceiling.
MORE: Rich Paul Delivers Grim Update on Timetable for LeBron James’ Free-Agency Decision Amid Warriors, Cavaliers Rumors
Cavaliers assistant GM Brandon Weems is “basically a brother” to James, as agent Rich Paul described. Now, “well-placed observers” around the league believe James intends to turn his final NBA season into some kind of lucrative documentary project. If that is true, the story of the kid from Akron finishing his career where it started, with the franchise he carried to a title in 2016, is the “storybook ending,” as Stein notes.
With that said, nothing is official, so the Warriors, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, and Denver Nuggets remain alive in the sweepstakes.
It remains to be seen where James will sign. Paul recently claimed that James’ decision will not be announced anytime soon, at least not in the coming days.
Continue reading...
