LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers don’t seem to be on the best of terms right now. All offseason long, there have been rumors about the future between the two parties.
Following the Lakers’ blockbuster move to acquire Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks before the trade deadline last year, the team clearly moved on from building around James. Doncic is the new face of the franchise in Los Angeles.
Early on in the offseason, James chose to opt in for the final year of his contract. He will become a free agent next offseason unless he reaches some kind of new deal with the Lakers. There seems to be a belief that he won’t finish his career in Los Angeles.
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Should that become a reality and James does hit the open market next offseason, quite a few teams could come forward with interest in signing him.
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Stephen A. Smith has now spoken out and urged James to leave the Lakers for one specific destination. He revealed where he thinks James should go in a recent segment of “First Take.”
Which team does he think James should join? He would like to see the veteran superstar head back to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“But getting specifically to LeBron — it has got to the point, where I think it warrants it bro: why don’t you just come back to Cleveland and end your career?” Smith said. “This cannot be disputed: he’d have a better chance to win in Cleveland than he would in L.A. The road through the Western Conference is arduous to say the least.”
A third stint with the Cavaliers would be must-watch basketball. James joining forces with Donovan Mitchell would make Cleveland a much more dangerous contender.
Last season with Los Angeles, James still played at an elite level even at 40 years old. He appeared in 70 games, averaging 24.4 points per game to go along with 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds, and a steal, while shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from three-point range.
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During the 2024-25 season, the Cavaliers were the best team in the Eastern Conference in the regular season. They swept the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, before running into the Indiana Pacers and falling in five games in the second round.
Expect to continue hearing links between James and Cleveland. His future is completely unknown, but a return home to finish his career with the Cavaliers would have to be a potential option he’d consider.
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