LeBron James returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers and spending the final seasons of his legendary career with the team that drafted him is shifting from a nice dream to a legitimate possibility. That is what those speaking to ESPN thought, at the least.
The major sports outlet conducted their annual survey of 20 coaches, scouts, and executives. They covered a large variety of topics, including where LeBron will be at the start of the 2026-27 season. The voting was fairly split.
Continuing his career with the Los Angeles Lakers was still the outcome most were predicting, with seven votes going towards that choice. Retirement snuck up as the second leading option, with five voters believing the all-time great will simply call it a career after the 2025-26 campaign.
Not too far behind either of those options were the Cavaliers. Four people casting ballots believed James was destined to don the wine and gold once more. Naturally, if that was the case, the Cavaliers would need a bit of help in that regard.
Cavaliers’ timeline suddenly matches LeBron’s championship clock
Rich Paul told everyone at the start of the offseason that James wants to compete for championships. It just so happens that the Cavaliers feel the same way about their current group.
The pathway has been cleared for Cleveland to break through in the Eastern Conference. Having James in the mix after this season would only get them closer to that goal, especially if they come up short in 2025-26.
LeBron remains stubborn as ever when it comes to just quietly fading into irrelevance. James still posted impressive averages of 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 1.0 steal per game last season, while playing 70 games and shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from deep.
The Cavaliers will need help from last year's All-NBA Second Team member to really get this one accomplished. Primarily, it will be an assist from James when it comes to the financials.
A sign-and-trade is not a particularly viable option for getting James back to Cleveland and maintaining a championship core around him. LeBron would need to be open to the idea of giving the Cavaliers a hefty discount to maintain what would make the team title favorites.
Does the NBA's all-time leading scorer make that kind of sacrificial play? If the answer is yes, those voters who picked Cleveland as his next (and likely final) destination will be vindicated.