LeBron James' Former Teammate Urges Him to Leave the Lakers

With the NBA offseason officially underway for the Los Angeles Lakers, all the talk shifted to superstar LeBron James and whether he’ll return to the team for what would be a record-setting 24th season in the league.

James will become an unrestricted free agent this summer and will be able to control his fate moving forward, with all sorts of rumors floating around about his immediate future, from him simply returning for a ninth season with the Lakers to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors ready to sign him when he hits free agency in July.

Earlier this week, James let it be known on his Mind the Game podcast that he hasn’t made up his mind and that the decision might not be made until August, which obviously isn’t ideal for the Lakers if it takes that long.

Channing Frye Urges LeBron James to Return to the Cavs

As of right now, no one knows what James will do, but his former Cavs teammate Channing Frye thinks the four-time NBA champion should go back to Cleveland this summer, as he said on the Road Trippin Show.

“Go back to Cleveland,” Frye said. “That’s what I wanna see. Go back home, last year, let’s get it done. Cleveland can move on from James Harden, so now they have a ball-handler. They have a guy who can play four different positions. He’ll make ’em tougher, or he’ll call ’em out and get ’em traded, either one. I mean, it’s just facts.”

There’s a decent chance that this is the route that James takes, with the Cavs expected to show interest in him returning for a third stint this offseason. Cleveland is currently in the Eastern Conference Finals and would likely continue to be a legitimate title contender next season if James came back to town.

James also recently generated buzz when he liked a reel on Instagram that featured him in a Cavs jersey with “Come Home” at the top.

No matter where James wants to go, there will be obstacles, starting with what he wants to be paid and the flexibility the team will have in that regard. The Lakers, Cavs, Warriors and other teams that show interest might find it challenging to bring in the future Hall of Famer.

There’s always the possibility that the Lakers could work out a sign-and-trade with Cleveland, which might benefit both sides. Some have speculated that center Jarrett Allen could be sent to Los Angeles in return, addressing a need.

With the Cavs still hoping to make it to the NBA Finals and win a championship, led by Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, there’s no telling where this goes or what will change over the next month or so.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on YouTube, Facebook, X/Twitter and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google