No one in the city of Cleveland can be blamed for eyeing the 2026 offseason as the time for one last reunion with the greatest player to have ever donned the wine and gold. However, the schematics on how to get LeBron James to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers are not that simple.
A sign-and-trade could have been a nice and simple answer for the Cavaliers, were it not for one crucial factor. That, of course, would be the dreaded second apron that fans in Cleveland are surely pretty tired of hearing the repercussions of.
Unfortunately for those fans, they need to buckle up for another conversation about how these financial restrictions will limit the team-building potential for the Cavaliers. Teams above the first tax apron can't acquire a player via sign-and-trade.
That was introduced in the 2023 CBA, adding a significant setback to how a team like Cleveland can operate when owing their roster the big financial toll that it does. Either the Cavaliers would need to jump through some serious cost-cutting moves to get the deal done, or James will have to truly consider doing his old team a significant favor.
Cavaliers would need to gut their core for a LeBron James sign-and-trade
The conversation of a sign-and-trade in 2026 involving James and the Cavaliers was brought up to Jovan Buha on a recent episode of his podcast. The Lakers reporter acknowledged the possibility, but also the challenges.
Buha said, "If LeBron ultimately leaves the Lakers at some point, I would put the handicap at Cleveland being the leader. ... Unless you're moving Austin [Reaves], [Darius] Garland doesn't really make sense with Luka [Doncic] and Austin."
The reporter highlighted Jarrett Allen as the most attractive trade piece for the Lakers. When factoring in the finances of the max deal that James could want from his next contract, this is where it gets tough.
The Cavaliers would need to clear the deck for James by sending out other big contracts. They would then need to still have the pieces remaining on the roster after that to entice the Lakers into a sign-and-trade.
There are a lot of moving parts there that just do not quite fall how they would need to in a way that the Cavaliers still leave the equation as a championship contender. A reunion with James would need to involve sacrifice on his part.
The homecoming pitch for LeBron is simple: come win another championship in Cleveland and add to your already impressive legacy. To do that, the future Hall of Famer would need to sacrifice his payday. Given the convoluted circumstances, James cannot have both in this instance.