The Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t made many moves this offseason, and that’s because they’re waiting on a big fish to announce where he’ll be going. Yes, it’s LeBron James, and the Cavs believe they’re one of the top teams that have a chance at signing him at some point. It seems as if everybody around the team is fine with it, including Donovan Mitchell, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“So LeBron James is the first priority for the Cavaliers, and Donovan Mitchell is fully on board with that and upgrading the Cavs roster overall after they made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals,” Charania said on NBA Today.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly making LeBron James their "first priority" in free agency this summer, per @ShamsCharania
"And yes that includes the pursuit of LeBron James and I'm told behind has made it clear that he would embrace LeBron coming to the Cavaliers and… pic.twitter.com/QapTSA3yTG
— NBABase (@TheNBABase) July 7, 2026
Mitchell is undoubtedly the No. 1 on the team right now, so it was important for the Cavs to check in with him to see how he feels about bringing James along.
It makes perfect sense why the Cavs believe they’re one of the top teams for James. First, if this is supposed to be his final stop, coming back home would be poetic for his finish, and he’ll be able to compete for a championship with the team the Cavs already have assembled. Another reason is that James just spent the first week of free agency in Cleveland, meeting up with some old friends. Though that may not mean much, at the same time, it could mean a lot.
As of now, everybody has a sense that the Cavs are frontrunners for James, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“If you ask me, ‘Are the vibes pointing towards Cleveland?’ Yeah, the vibes are pointing towards Cleveland. But it’s just vibes,” Windhorst said.
Just like Leon Thomas said, vibes don’t lie, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if James found his way back home to play alongside Mitchell.