With the possibility of Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James storied career coming to an end looming closer and closer, rumors have swirled about what the legend will do at the end of this season.
This summer, James will be an unrestricted free agent with a multitude of options including retirement and resigning with Los Angeles.
Perhaps the most intriguing possibility for James would be to return to his hometown team, the team he won a championship with in 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers. While it all may sound too good to be true, an Eastern Conference executive was optimistic about the fit.
It would certainly be complicated, but here's why that optimism could be warranted.
Despite an expensive payroll, Cleveland has some flexibility
As of right now, the Cavaliers are slated to have the second most expensive payroll in the league next season, only behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. While that might sound a bit daunting, it's not all bad.
From from most expensive to least, the players that will officially be under contract for Cleveland in 2026-27 are Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, Max Strus, Dennis Schroder, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, Tyrese Proctor and Nae'Qwan Tomlin.
Honestly, of that group, anyone with the exception of perhaps Mobley and Mitchell could be trade candidates in order to free up cap space. Allen and Strus have somewhat hefty contracts, and Schroder could be a useful veteran piece to many teams. Additionally, while Tyson had a strong start to the year, he has cooled off and Cleveland could look to sell high off his early success if they don't believe in him long term.
After this season, Dean Wade, Keon Ellis, Thomas Bryant and Larry Nance Jr. will all be unrestricted free agents. Bryant and Nance Jr. are more likely than not to leave, but both Ellis and Wade's fate will be more complex.
Ellis is a bit easier to see the tea leaves. He's becoming a favorite of Kenny Atkinson, with all signs indicating an increased role in the playoffs. For Wade, the case to let him walk makes sense. As a big wing, he'll garner a real market, and if the Cavaliers want James, it would make sense for him to be the piece to let go.
Although, it's yet to be seen if he'll have a large role in the postseason, and if he does, it wouldn't be shocking at all to see Wade become a priority.
What will happen with James Harden?
The elephant in the room is James Harden. It's widely expected that he'll pick up his over $42 million player option, but it's not a complete given. If Cleveland sputters down the stretch and has an early exit, perhaps the front office will think twice about paying him so much money.
At this point, it's hardly an argument that Harden is a more valuable player than James, but James has the hometown hero label on his side, which may in turn give the Cavaliers some sort of discount. So, Harden is better than James, but is he $25 million better? For Koby Altman and the rest of the front office, this will be a real question if they both don't want to get more expensive and bring James in.
So, it feels like should James decide to return to Cleveland for one more season there will likely be a subsequent casualty or two to the current roster. First, Craig Porter Jr. has a club option for just over $2 million and while that wouldn't be the end of the world to pick up, it would make some sense to let him go given his current spot in the rotation.
Other than that, there are real options as stated above and almost anybody is a candidate to be moved, which will likely need to happen if Cleveland can support James and everything that comes with him.
There are hurdles, but it's doable
On the court, it's hard to imagine that James can or will occupy a role very much different than what he's had before: primarily on the ball. That's why it may be difficult for he and Harden, not to mention Mitchell as well, to coexist. If he can take on a more off-ball role, that opens up another problem in that there are just too many wings to all be in the rotation.
From there, one could suggest that James take more to the frontcourt, as the Cavaliers are seriously lacking in depth in that area. However, there will be real questions about if James' body, despite it's consistently excellent condition, can withstand that for a whole year.
Long story short, it won't be perfect, but the fit for James to return is there and is certainly attainable should the Cavaliers choose to go down that route.