On Sunday, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James shook the NBA world by choosing to opt into his deal for the 2025-26 season with L.A. but seemingly leaving the door open for a departure.
Comments made by James’ agent Rich Paul to ESPN sparked speculation about the possibility of James requesting a trade at some point if he doesn’t believe in L.A.’s title chances.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
James, 40, is at a stage of his career where he has no time to waste. If he were to be traded by the Lakers, it would certainly be to a contender. He has also only played for three teams in his NBA career. That could remain true even with a trade, but he would have to be dealt to either the Cleveland Cavaliers or Miami Heat in that case.
Why not the Cavs?
As the team that James came into the NBA with and later won an NBA title with in 2016, Cleveland will be the first team that comes to mind for many fans when they reflect on the icon’s career years down the road.
The hometown kid’s first two stints with the franchise were unforgettable in their own ways. Might a third one be just as memorable? Here’s a case for why the Cavs should consider making a move for the 21-time All-Star if he becomes available…and also a case for why they shouldn’t.
Why the Cavs should do it
1. The Cavs would become the biggest story in the NBA again
James brings an unmistakable presence to every team that he’s on. Wherever he is, eyeballs, chatter and attention follow. He will be the talk of the league until he’s done.
Now, can you imagine how amplified that would become if he decided to write a storybook ending to his career by heading home?
Make no mistake, the Cavs are a relevant team in the NBA right now. They did enough in the 2024-25 regular season to get in the championship conversation, and at certain points during the campaign, it felt like they were a team of destiny.
But the magic didn’t last, and right now, the average NBA fan probably isn’t even thinking about them. That changes instantly if James heads back to Cleveland.
The Cavs would become the league’s marquee team again, with the reunion storyline alone being enough to make the average fan want to tune into their games. Add in the fact that they’d be legitimately pushing for a title with James, and interest in the squad would be through the roof.
2. The Cavs would (probably?) become the runaway favorites in a weakened Eastern Conference
Unfortunately, the Eastern Conference is going to have a different look in the 2025-26 season due to injuries to star players. Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers are all going to miss most or all of the season due to Achilles injuries.
That leaves the Cavs as the current favorites to win the Eastern Conference this coming season and reach the NBA Finals, but they certainly aren’t the runaway favorites, as some other teams — particularly the New York Knicks — are within striking distance based on some of the listed odds.
If Cleveland were to acquire James, one has to imagine that the odds of the Cavs reaching the NBA Finals would receive a major lift. Of course, the only reason there’s a little uncertainty is because you have to consider who Cleveland would lose in the process of acquiring James.
The last time James and the Cavs teamed up, the future Hall of Famer took the team to four NBA Finals in four tries. He is no longer in his early 30s, but he’s still a winner, and there would be plenty of reasons to like Cleveland’s chances with James in the fold.
3. LeBron’s mentorship would move mountains for the remaining core
The wording here is important. For salary purposes alone, there’s no doubt that the Cavs would have to give up some key pieces in order to acquire James. But even if the remaining members of Cleveland’s “core four” were just Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley by the time James arrived, don’t you think his mentorship would be game-changing for them?
Long after James retires, Mitchell and Mobley will hopefully be foundational pieces for the franchise, so the Cavs need to ensure that those guys are equipped to handle the challenge of leading a team and winning in the process.
Is there anyone in the league who knows what it takes to do that in Cleveland better than James does?
Why the Cavs should stay away
1. The mechanics of a deal would be difficult
James will make about $53 million in the 2025-26 season. It’s always hard to pull off a trade for someone making that much money. It’s even harder when you’re in Cleveland’s position.
The Cavs are above the second apron. This has a number of implications. One of them is that Cleveland can’t take on more salary in a trade than it sends out. Another is that the Cavs aren’t allowed to combine contracts in a trade in order to satisfy that aforementioned obstacle.
The problem, then, is that Cleveland doesn’t have anyone under contract who will make as much as James in the 2025-26 season, meaning the team would have to combine contracts to reach James’ salary.
Again, the second apron prevents the Cavs from doing this. As such, Cleveland would need to get under the second apron in a separate deal before making a trade for James or would need to get under the second apron in the deal for James itself.
Doing so would require moving off of a lot of salary, which would mean losing key players.
2. Is it really time to punt on the “core four?”
Players like Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen would potentially be at risk of being sent away in a trade for James. Those two guys have been critical to Cleveland’s core for years. Is it really time to move on?
Last season, the Cavs showed their potential in the regular season by earning one of the best records in franchise history. Many were convinced that they were NBA Finals material, but injuries and a bad matchup led to a second-round playoff exit.
Doesn’t the core deserve at least one more chance to show the franchise what it’s capable of?
In addition, although Mitchell and Mobley (two pieces who would presumably remain in Cleveland regardless of a James trade) are young enough to keep the Cavs competitive for years to come, a trade for James would make the Cavs older, not younger.
Potentially losing out on the prime years of Garland and Allen isn’t something that can be taken lightly.
3. The Cavs still haven’t shown they can win without James
To some, this may matter. To others, it may not.
The Cavs still haven’t won an NBA title without the help of James. In fact, they’ve never reached the NBA Finals without him.
There’s a good chance that this core will check at least one of those boxes sooner or later. Doing so would mean proving to the world that the Cavs don’t need James to be successful.
If they were to bring him in and return to glory, there’s no doubt that it would be worth celebrating, but it would justifiably raise questions about Cleveland’s ability to win another championship without him in the future.