Cavaliers Would ‘Gladly’ Sign LeBron James If He Wanted to Return to Cleveland

Could LeBron James return for a third Cavaliers stint? | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

On Wednesday night, LeBron James will return to Cleveland with the Lakers set to play the Cavaliers. It’s a celebrated occasion each season for Cavs fans as James remains the most beloved sports figure in the city’s history. After tip-off he’ll be treated the same as any other opponent but there will be plentiful appreciation for The King by those in the stands in the lead-up to the game.

In honor of this year’s trip to Ohio, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote a retrospective piece on James’s final year with the Cavaliers— the 2017-18 campaign that may have featured LeBron at the very peak of his powers. The article examines whether it was the most dominant season of James’s illustrious career. It also includes a tidbit on how the Cavs view a possible homecoming for James.

As of now the Lakers’ superstar will enter free agency after this season. That could easily change in the coming months, whether via an extension with Los Angeles or a retirement announcement. But for now all possibilities are on the table. One such possibility? A return to Cleveland, where it all began. Playing for his hometown team and the franchise that drafted him would make for a neat bow on James’s career.

But it takes two to tango. Would the Cavaliers themselves be interested in such an arrangement given James has voluntarily left in free agency not just once but twice in the last 15 years?

According to McMenamin, the answer is yes.

“Multiple team and league sources told ESPN the Cavaliers would gladly welcome James back this summer if he wanted to return to Cleveland for his 24th NBA season and third stint with the team,” he reported.

What a storybook ending for James. The fact that it actually makes sense on the court adds a little juice to the idea. Cleveland has successfully rebuilt into a contender since James left in 2018 but the roster is still lacking a big ballhandler on the wing like James. Such an addition would help balance the floor for the star trio of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley. It’s not a perfect fit and whether all three would remain following a LeBron pursuit is very much a question but it wouldn’t be difficult to find a spot for James.

But that’s all a bit counting the chickens before they hatch. Cleveland is one of the league’s more disappointing teams so far this season, currently in fifth place in the East, and will likely be considering serious changes if this core collapses in the playoffs again. At this time it’s unclear what James’s priorities are beyond competing for a championship this year as he plays in his 23rd NBA season. A lot would have to line up for either side to even consider a reunion, much less actually pull it off.

But as of now, the Cavs would gladly welcome back Cleveland’s most famous homegrown star.

---