Fans and media members have been theorizing about a LeBron James-Cleveland Cavaliers reunion essentially since the moment he left The Land for a second time in 2018. But do the Cavs actually want that? NBA insider Marc Stein isn’t so sure.
While James’ displeasure with the Los Angeles Lakers has been made clear via his agent (and Cleveland native) Rich Paul, as well as anonymously sourced media reports, it seems more likely than not that ‘The King’ will begin his record-setting 23rd NBA season still with the Lakers.
That does not necessarily mean that James couldn’t, one way or another, find his way back to the Cavs, though. It’s just going to be tough to do — if Dan Gilbert, Koby Altman, and Co. want to do it all.
“I believe that a third stint with the Cavaliers would be the closest thing to a storybook ending should James indeed decide that he wants to play on in 2026-27, but it’s unclear how open Cleveland would actually be to such a reunion,” Stein wrote on his ‘Stein Line’ Substack. “Before last season’s second-round flameout, I was pretty sure that the Cavaliers did not want anything to do with a third act, remembering how the two previous runs — spanning seven seasons and then four seasons — forced Planet Cavs to revolve completely around James.
“Now? The Cavaliers couldn’t trade for James even if they wanted to, since their luxury tax bill has them stuck in the second apron, but I do wonder if they have warmed to the idea of another reunion should it ever become possible via offseason free agency.”
Stein also said that a James-Cavs reunion will “come up a time or three” when Darius Garland hosts a celebrity softball game next weekend in the Cleveland area, which will feature Paul.
Still, it is unclear — and possibly remains unknown even to the Cavs brass — whether bringing James back is a good idea. Of course, for a small contract, it would likely be a no-brainer for James to come home one final time.
However, James has remained consistent in maximizing his earnings over the past decade. He has rarely taken less than the maximum salary he could be offered in that time, and when he did, it was a slight pay decrease. And, as Stein illustrated, the Cavs don’t have a lot of wiggle room with their payroll, even if they do want to pay James $40 or $50 million.
Instead of James this offseason, the Cavs prioritized the acquisition of Lonzo Ball, re-signing Sam Merrill, and bringing back another Northeast Ohio native and former Cavalier, Larry Nance Jr.
