NBA Rumors: LeBron James Could Return to the Cleveland Cavaliers Once Again

LeBron James could change teams this coming summer... or even end his career. Sources informed DallasHoopsJournal that the veteran player is widely expected to join the Cleveland Cavaliers if he decides to continue playing and not retire from the NBA at the end of the current season.

James will be an unrestricted free agent this summer for the first time since 2018. If he chooses to keep playing, sources indicate that he is expected to return to the Cavaliers, the franchise of his hometown, to team up with James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen.

The potential return to Cleveland would have a strong symbolic component. James was born and raised in Akron (Ohio) and has already played in two stints with the Cavaliers. He is regarded as the greatest player in the franchise's history, and the club will eventually retire his number 23 jersey. A hypothetical "farewell tour" in Cleveland would mark a fairytale ending to his career.

The Lakers, ready to turn the page

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly ready to move forward without James, aiming to build the project around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, as per the same sources. James has been with the LA franchise since the 2018-19 season. During that period, he led the team to the 2020 championship, achieved inside the Walt Disney World bubble. The Lakers also reached the Western Conference Finals in 2023, a series won by the Denver Nuggets with a 4-0 victory.

An article published in January by ESPN pointed out, among other things, that Lakers governor, Jeanie Buss, did not view James favorably as the "savior of a franchise in crisis when he arrived in 2018." The same source also reported that Buss believes the player did not take enough responsibility for the failure of the Russell Westbrook trade.

LeBron James is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and he led the Cavaliers to their only championship in 2016 against the Golden State Warriors, who had set a regular-season record of 73 wins and 9 losses. That Cleveland team from the 2015-16 season remains the only one in league history to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals.

Regarded by many as the greatest player of all time, James has been a four-time regular-season MVP, a four-time champion, and a four-time Finals MVP. Despite being the oldest active player in the NBA, he remains a significant offensive force. This season, he is averaging 21.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game with the Lakers.