Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has spent more seasons playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers than any other team in his pro career, as he had two stints with the franchise years ago.
First, he spent his opening seven campaigns in the NBA with the Cavaliers. Then, his second stint with the team spanned four seasons from the 2014-15 season through the 2017-18 campaign, and Cleveland made the NBA Finals every one of those four seasons.
Fast forward to current day, and a third stint for James in Cleveland might not be the pipe dream it once was. NBA insider John Gambadoro came out with a report on Friday indicating that the Lakers want to move on from James as soon as possible.
According to Hoops Wire’s Ashish Mathur, the Cavaliers are interested in bringing James back to Cleveland, but only under a certain condition. It would have to be in a buyout situation.
“Sources said that Cleveland is only interested in James in a buyout situation,” Mathur wrote.
If James were to get bought out, it’s likely that the Cavaliers would be far from the only team vying for his services. After all, he would be a free agent after clearing waivers, and any contending team could benefit greatly from such an acquisition.
But the Cavaliers would perhaps have a leg up on most (if not all) of the teams in any potential James sweepstakes if the Lakers were to buy him out for more reasons than one.
On top of James’ history playing for the Cavaliers and his Ohio roots, Cleveland would theoretically give him a really great chance to win a title in the coming season.
Not only does the Eastern Conference look even weaker on paper than it did a few months ago, but the Cavaliers are more or less running it back with a roster that won 64 games last season.
The biggest changes have been guard Ty Jerome signing with the Memphis Grizzlies in free agency, big man Larry Nance Jr. reuniting with the Cavs and Cleveland trading wing Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls for guard Lonzo Ball.
It’s hard to imagine a reality where James signs with the Cavaliers and they aren’t among the favorites to capture the 2026 NBA title. However, for now, there are still certainly obstacles in the way of James getting to Cleveland.