Charles Barkley Says There’s Only One Logical Move Left for Lakers’ LeBron James

The wait continues for LeBron James on his decision about his immediate future with the Los Angeles Lakers.

James has made it clear that he’s going to take his time in making his decision to either return to the Lakers, sign elsewhere in NBA free agency or call it a career and retire.

As of right now, retirement seems like the most unlikely route for the four-time NBA champion, as he can still play at a high level at 41 years old and will have no lack of interest in his services when he officially becomes a free agent this summer.

Charles Barkley Thinks LeBron Needs to Leave the Lakers

During an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up, Charles Barkley was asked about James’ future and what he thinks the future Hall of Famer should do. Barkley didn’t hesitate to say it’s time to leave the Lakers and head back to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a storybook ending.

“LeBron only has one play in my opinion, and that's to go back to Cleveland,” Barkley said. “That's his only smart, logical choice. Go back and finish his career with the Cavs. It's a perfect fix.”

The two teams other than the Lakers that are expected to show interest in James in free agency are the Cavs and the Golden State Warriors. Cleveland has been linked to the superstar for quite some time, with stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden rumored to be planning to recruit him back to where he began his NBA career.

As for the Warriors, Stephen Curry and company are expected to do the same, with Steve Kerr’s squad looking to put together one last championship run in the Bay Area.

However, Barkley sees the Cavs being James’ best option this summer because he believes it doesn’t do the 41-year-old “any good to stay in LA” moving forward.

“It doesn't do him any good to stay in LA because No. 1, they're not going to be competitive in the West. And also, it's time for the Lakers to turn the team over to Luka [Doncic]. … They're not going to compete with the Spurs. They're not gonna compete with OKC or the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 42-year-old guy. They're not going to be competitive.”

Barkley believes that if James goes back to Cleveland for a third and final stint with the team that drafted him in 2003, the Cavs will be the favorite in the Eastern Conference.

“If he stays in LA, he's doing it for off-court reasons. But if he goes back to the Cavs, where I believe he shouldn't have never left in the first place, the Cavs would probably be the favorite in the East. And that's to me is his only logical choice.”

With the New York Knicks on the rise and two wins away from winning their first NBA title since 1973, it might be a stretch to say the Cavs will be the favorite in the East with James back in the fold.

For one, the Cavs will likely have to put together a sign-and-trade with the Lakers to make it happen, which will cost them one of their best players, with some speculating it would be center Jarrett Allen.

The Lakers might be open to a move like that if James is determined to return to Cleveland, as Allen addresses a need in the paint in Los Angeles.

It’ll be interesting to see how things unfold in the coming weeks, as the Lakers brass will likely want an answer for James sooner rather than later, so they can put an offseason plan together ahead of the start of NBA free agency on July 1.

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