Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron Jamesâ future remains one of the NBAâs most closely watched storylines. After opting into his $52.6 million player option this past summer, James will become an unrestricted free agent following the 2025-26 season, raising questions about where the four-time NBA champion might play next.
Farewell Tour Speculation
Yaron Weitzman of Bleacher Report polled NBA executives and scouts about Jamesâ next move. Many pointed to the Cleveland Cavaliers as the most likely destination for a farewell tour.
âIf he wants to do a farewell tour like Kobe did, itâs the only other team that makes sense,â one league executive told Weitzman. âLeBron cares about narratives. He doesnât want to be like Michael Jordan on the Wizards.â
Weitzman, who spent three years researching and writing a book on James and the Lakers, said those he interviewed overwhelmingly believe that James will orchestrate an elaborate farewell tour when he retires, similar to Kobe Bryantâs final season.
Yet insiders note the challenges of Jamesâ position. âThe problem is that heâs put himself in a situation where itâs impossible for him to get everything he wants,â a different executive said. âHe has no leverage here, and heâs not used to that.â
Obstacles to a Cleveland Return
The Cavaliers face salary restrictions due to the second apron, limiting their ability to trade for James. The only realistic pathways for a return to Cleveland would be via a buyout or signing for less in the offseason.
âCleveland would obviously welcome that,â another league executive told Weitzman.
Still, many insiders remain skeptical.
âI donât think heâd care,â a player agent said. âHe knows that playing with the Cavs in the East would make them heavy favorites to make the Finals.â
Another agent cautioned, âWhen you take a buyout, thatâs a signal that people around the league donât want you. And I donât think LeBron wants that.â
Trading for LeBron
GettyDarius Garland and Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers react against the Indiana Pacers during the fourth quarter in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs.
Earlier this year, Yahoo Sportsâ Kevin OâConnor suggested a Cleveland return could be a storybook ending for James.
OâConnor also outlined a potential trade.
âLeBron James to the Cavaliers would require getting under the second apron, which would mean losing Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, and a third guy: probably Max Strus,â OâConnor wrote on X in June. âItâs a lot to give up for a player who may not put you over the top and may have only one year left. But if the chance is there, the Cavs should go all-in on LeBron.â
He added that trading Allen and Garland could have a longer-term benefit.
âAllen has folded in the playoffs and Garland is a tiny guard. Could trading them be a low-key salary dump for Cleveland? Then, whenever LeBron retires, the front office would have cap flexibility to build next to Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley with better-fitting players than Allen and Garland. In a strange way, adding LeBron could help optimize their short-term title odds while also helping in the longer term.â
The Cavaliers have already tried to break up the Mitchell-Garland tandem by offering the latter in their failed bid to trade for Kevin Durant, OâConnor previously reported.
A Full-Circle Opportunity
If James does return to Cleveland, it would provide a storybook ending to a career that began in the Cavaliersâ uniform. Executives and insiders say such a move would carry both narrative weight and competitive potentialâa chance for the soon-to-be 41-year-old superstar to go out on top while shaping the future of a franchise he helped define.
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