Originally published by LakersNation.com
On the morning of the start of NBA free agency, LeBron James dropped a bomb on the Los Angeles Lakers by letting them know he will not be returning to the team.
That means the Lakers can begin building their roster around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves with the long-term goal of contending for championships in mind. And for James, he will be finishing he career elsewhere, and potential suitors are already popping up. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, another return to the Cleveland Cavaliers is one possibility:
Cleveland Cavaliers have interest in a second reunion with LeBron James with the appeal of the franchise’s greatest player finishing his career where it all started, league sources tell me.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 30, 2026
Another possibility for James is joining his long-time rival Stephen Curry on the Golden State Warriors. They are believed to be pursuing an Anthony Davis trade as a way of luring James to the Bay Area, but he may have interest in playing there either way, per NBA insider Marc Stein:
The Warriors are at the front of the line in pursuit of LeBron James in free agency and league sources tell @TheSteinLine that Golden State is not operating as though it has a mandate to also pursue an Anthony Davis trade.
More from @JakeLFischer and me: https://t.co/K2otdALX1K https://t.co/2yJuBp0sIS
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 30, 2026
James finishing his career where it started with the Cavaliers would make all of the sense in the world as they appreciate him more than any other fanbase. He would also have an easier path at championship contention in the East as opposed to stay in the West on an older Warriors roster.
Regardless, the James era in Los Angeles has come to an end after eight seasons and even if he will be finishing his career in a different uniform, there should be a level of appreciation for everything he brought to the organization.
Why Lakers should want LeBron James to sign with Cavaliers over Warriors
As the Lakers begin to build their roster in a post-James era, he can still potentially help them out.
The Warriors can use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception of around $15 million to sign James, but if he wants to go to Cleveland then it likely would have to be a sign-and-trade given their lack of salary cap space.
If James and the Cavaliers agree to a sign-and-trade then perhaps the Lakers could get back Jarrett Allen, who is a starting-caliber center that would help clear enough money for Cleveland to make it happen.
That would be the best-case scenario for L.A. here, and they would not have to deal with James still playing in the Western Conference on the division-rival Warriors.
Allen has three years and around $90 million remaining on his contract, so James could sign a similar deal and still get paid as a star-level player instead of taking a massive discount.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
On the morning of the start of NBA free agency, LeBron James dropped a bomb on the Los Angeles Lakers by letting them know he will not be returning to the team.
That means the Lakers can begin building their roster around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves with the long-term goal of contending for championships in mind. And for James, he will be finishing he career elsewhere, and potential suitors are already popping up. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, another return to the Cleveland Cavaliers is one possibility:
Cleveland Cavaliers have interest in a second reunion with LeBron James with the appeal of the franchise’s greatest player finishing his career where it all started, league sources tell me.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 30, 2026
Another possibility for James is joining his long-time rival Stephen Curry on the Golden State Warriors. They are believed to be pursuing an Anthony Davis trade as a way of luring James to the Bay Area, but he may have interest in playing there either way, per NBA insider Marc Stein:
The Warriors are at the front of the line in pursuit of LeBron James in free agency and league sources tell @TheSteinLine that Golden State is not operating as though it has a mandate to also pursue an Anthony Davis trade.
More from @JakeLFischer and me: https://t.co/K2otdALX1K https://t.co/2yJuBp0sIS
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 30, 2026
James finishing his career where it started with the Cavaliers would make all of the sense in the world as they appreciate him more than any other fanbase. He would also have an easier path at championship contention in the East as opposed to stay in the West on an older Warriors roster.
Regardless, the James era in Los Angeles has come to an end after eight seasons and even if he will be finishing his career in a different uniform, there should be a level of appreciation for everything he brought to the organization.
Why Lakers should want LeBron James to sign with Cavaliers over Warriors
As the Lakers begin to build their roster in a post-James era, he can still potentially help them out.
The Warriors can use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception of around $15 million to sign James, but if he wants to go to Cleveland then it likely would have to be a sign-and-trade given their lack of salary cap space.
If James and the Cavaliers agree to a sign-and-trade then perhaps the Lakers could get back Jarrett Allen, who is a starting-caliber center that would help clear enough money for Cleveland to make it happen.
That would be the best-case scenario for L.A. here, and they would not have to deal with James still playing in the Western Conference on the division-rival Warriors.
Allen has three years and around $90 million remaining on his contract, so James could sign a similar deal and still get paid as a star-level player instead of taking a massive discount.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.