LeBron returns to the Cleveland Cavaliers? Sounds right but probably won t happen

In life and sports, if something makes too much sense, it may not be possible.

LeBron James returns to the Cleveland Cavaliers exactly that. James chose to execute a $52.6 million player option to return to the NBA for the 2025-26 season on Sunday morning, but he is evaluating his future with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN's Charania.

LeBron's agent Ritchie Paul ensured that Charania mentioned in the report that their team understood that it was difficult to compete for the NBA championship while planning the future.

"LeBron wants to compete for the championship," ESPN's report read. “We do want to evaluate what is the best for LeBron at this stage and career.” The report also thanked owner Jenny Buss for his “collaboration” with general manager Rob Pelinka, noting that the Lakers have been a “critical part” of his career.

These remarks... obviously don't sound like a guy who is committed to staying with the Lakers. In fact, it sounds more like a guy who just got a $52.6 million contract and is ready to leave.

James will turn 41 in the upcoming NBA season. He has been hinting that his basketball career is about to end.

It is not appropriate to go on a farewell tour with any team other than the Cavaliers.

NBA Finals next season will be the 10th anniversary of Cleveland's classic reversal of the Warriors (73 wins and 9 losses) in 2016, in which James broke Cleveland's 52-year championship drought. Not to mention, this will be James' 23rd season – this jersey number will undoubtedly retire in Cleveland and Los Angeles.

James also holds the initiative in the game in this situation. He has a non-trade clause, which means that if the Lakers have an impressive performance in the free agent market, he might choose to stay with the Lakers. Or he can force the team to trade to his favorite team.

Due to the second-tier salary cap restrictions in the NBA's latest collective contract, competing teams like the Cavaliers will have difficulty trading a 40-year-old player with a contract worth $52 million. They need to find a way to adjust their financial position to sign below that salary cap because they can’t combine James’s salary — and they may not trade Donovan Mitchell directly for him, either.

Since Mitchell came to Cleveland, the Cavaliers have habitually encountered difficulties after the second round of the playoffs. They were eliminated by the New York Knicks in the first round of their first season, and in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the past two seasons, they were eliminated by the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers respectively.

Publicly speaking, Ultraman Kobe, the Cavaliers' president of basketball operations, supports the team's young core. But just last week, it was reported that All-Star point guard Dalius Garland was the protagonist of the trade who brought Kevin Durant. Garland was often injured during the playoffs, and Jarrett Allen did not play a role every season.

Next season, the Eastern Conference will be at your fingertips, as the Celtics will have no Tatum and the Pacers will have no Halliburton. Even with a struggle in the playoff performance, the Cavaliers are still the favorites to win the East. They are the second favorite team to win the championship outside the Thunder.

But what about LeBron James in their roster? It's hard to imagine the core combination of Mitchell, LeBron James and Evan Mobley wouldn't sweep the Eastern Conference.