LeBron James is the ultimate family man. Since joining the Los Angeles Lakers, Bron has established his home base in LA, and his family has built a life there. Would he really want to play for a non-LA franchise at this point?
That's become an important question as rumors swirl about LeBron possibly joining the Cleveland Cavaliers next season.
Brian Windhorst raised this question while appearing as a guest on Get Up, noting that Bronny James plays for the Lakers and Bryce James plays college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats.
LeBron's family ties might prevent a Cleveland Cavaliers reunion
If LeBron were to join the Cavs next season, he'd no longer be playing with his son, and he'd no longer be in proximity to his wife and daughter. He'd also be much further away from Bryce and presumably have fewer chances to watch him play in person.
These are all crucial factors that might be working against a return to Cleveland in LeBron's mind.
The financial details of the situation don't make a Cavs reunion any more likely. While LeBron will surely be asked to take a pay cut if he wants to stay with the Lakers, the Cavaliers — as currently constructed — don't exactly have cap space for Bron, either.
Cleveland could make multiple big moves to enhance its cap space, enabling a LeBron signing, but at that point, you're deconstructing your team to make room for a 41-year-old.
Then again, what's tantalizing about a LeBron-Cavs reunion is the basketball fit. Even if you, say, remove Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen from the current roster, James would fit quite nicely alongside a core of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jaylon Tyson, Craig Porter Jr., and Sam Merrill.
If Koby Altman could find a way to move Max Strus and De'Andre Hunter's contracts (in addition to Garland and Allen), Cleveland would have fiscal room for LeBron, and then some.
A starting five of Porter, Mitchell, Tyson, James, and Mobley, with Merrill and Nae'Qwan Tomlin as bench players, is a good start to roster construction for 2026-27. At that point, Altman would be one or two rotational bench additions away from having a squad that can play with anyone in the East.
Of course, none of this matters if LeBron isn't interested in leaving his family behind in LA. If Altman wanted to get really funky, he could find a way to trade for Bronny, plus draft Bryce.
It should also be said that LeBron would seriously challenge Michael Jordan's GOAT status if he were able to win a title with the Cavs before retiring. That might be the best card Cleveland has to play in its attempts to lure Bron back for one more ride into the sunset.