LeBron James is leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, and Cleveland may already be dreaming about one last homecoming.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, James has informed the Lakers that he plans to continue his NBA career during the 2026-27 season, but will play elsewhere. The decision ends his Lakers tenure after a run that included the 2020 NBA championship and immediately turns his next destination into the biggest story of free agency.
The Cavaliers are among the teams to watch.
Chris Haynes reported that Cleveland has interest in a second reunion with James, with the obvious appeal of the franchise’s greatest player finishing his career where it began. James was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cavaliers in 2003, carried them to the 2007 NBA Finals, returned in 2014 and delivered the city’s long-awaited championship in 2016.
A third stint would be about more than nostalgia.
Even at 41, James remains one of the league’s most useful offensive connectors. He averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds last season, then raised his production in the playoffs as the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets before falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
For Cleveland, that skill set still has obvious value.
The Cavaliers have star power and defensive talent, but James would give them another late-game organizer, a bigger wing playmaker and a championship voice for a team trying to push past the Eastern Conference’s top tier. His ability to control tempo, punish mismatches and create easier shots would take pressure off Cleveland’s guards while giving Evan Mobley another high-IQ passer to play through.
Of course, Cleveland is not alone.
The Golden State Warriors have been heavily linked to James, with the possibility of pairing him with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Miami has also been floated as a possible reunion spot, especially with the Heat building around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. The San Antonio Spurs remain the wild-card dream scenario because of what James could add to Victor Wembanyama’s game.
But Cleveland offers something those teams cannot.
For James, it would be the full-circle ending. For the Cavaliers, it would be a chance to add the greatest player in franchise history to a roster that could use his exact blend of size, playmaking and postseason command.
Prediction markets on Kalshi and Polymarket quickly moved toward the Warriors after James’ Lakers exit news, with Golden State jumping from 34 percent to 67 percent while the Cavaliers also gained steam as a potential reunion option.
The Lakers chapter is over.
Now the question is whether LeBron’s final chapter takes him back home.