Charles Barkley Names the Team He Wants to See LeBron James Get Traded to This Year

LeBron James is in the middle of his 23rd NBA season. | David Richard-Imagn Images

LeBron James was back home in Cleveland on Wednesday night and things got emotional when the team played a tribute video for the NBA star during a break in the action in the first quarter. The Lakers went on to lose the game, 129-99, to the Cavs to fall to 28-18 on the year. But this felt much more heavier than a mid-season game. It felt more like a celebration of a legendary career that could soon be coming to an end.

James is in the final the year of his contract with the Lakers and he spoke about his future with the team and the league after the loss.

"I'm just trying to take everything in, not take the moments for granted," said James, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "Because it could be [my last season]. I obviously haven't made a decision on the future, but it very well could be."

James, of course, got his start in the NBA with his hometown Cavs. He later returned to Cleveland and led the Cavs to their first and only NBA championship in 2016.

While there's lots of talk about what will happen to James after this season, Charles Barkley said on Inside the NBA that he'd like to see him return to Cleveland this year.

"There's one thing I'm sure of—this is his last year with the Lakers," Barkley said. "He's not going to play with the Lakers next year. I've always said I'd like to see him finish in Cleveland. I'm not opposed to him getting traded to Cleveland this year. Because the Eastern Conference is up for grabs."

Charles Barkley on LeBron James: "There's one thing I'm sure of- this is his last year with the Lakers. He's not going to play with the Lakers next year. I've always said I'd like to see him finish in Cleveland. I'm not opposed to him getting traded to Cleveland this year." #NBA https://t.co/otoI5KomoS pic.twitter.com/bTgFqk3Cng

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 28, 2026

Barkley added that he thinks there is no way that the Lakers could emerge from the West and win a title this season, mostly because the Thunder have all pieces in place to defend their championship and partly because the Lakers have some holes in their roster.

He thinks that James is deserving of his flowers as his career winds down and that it would make sense for that to happen on a different team.

"No. 1, I think he has earned his right for a farewell tour but it’s clear this is his last year with the Lakers," Barkley said. "They’re gonna move on and I think it’s the right thing to do. At some point you’ve got to turn the team over to Luka [Dončić] and Austin [Reaves] because you can’t be paying him $50 million a year to be the third best player on the team."

The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 5 and it feels like it would be a shocker if James gets moved but it would be fun to see him have one last run with his home team. That would likely have to come with a one-year deal next year as opposed to a trade this season.

LeBron James spoke about his emotions during the Cavs' tribute video

James became very emotional during Wednesday night's tribute video in Cleveland.

Here's that moment:

An emotional LeBron soaks in the Cleveland tribute 🥹 pic.twitter.com/SrcXsUIEfl

— NBA (@NBA) January 29, 2026

James talked about those emotions after the game, via ESPN:

"I think it just comes from just being present. I was just more present today than I've been [in past trips to Cleveland]," James said. "[It] definitely got to me a little bit, for sure."

The Cavs selected James No. 1 overall in the 2003 NBA draft and he spent his first seven seasons in Cleveland before moving on to Miami where he won three titles with the Heat.

He returned to Cleveland in 2014 where he played four more seasons before he left for Los Angeles.

The NBA's all-time leading scorer has won four NBA titles.

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