Cavs, LeBron James Reunion Not Expected To Happen This Summer

LeBron James has a player option to return to the Los Angeles Lakers next season. The NBA legend can become an unrestricted free agent this summer by declining his 2025-26 player option. 

Some believe James should leave the Lakers and end his legendary career where it all began. The Cleveland Cavaliers had the top record in the East this year but lost to the Indiana Pacers in the conference semifinals in five games.

Adding James next to Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen would be a big win for Cleveland GM Koby Altman. 

However, James is not expected to leave the Lakers, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN. 

“I would never cement it just because the Lakers are pivoting a little bit now. Not a little bit, they’ve pivoted to Luka Doncic. And so that makes their medium-term future a little bit harder to predict, but LeBron has demonstrated repeatedly, time after time after time, his priority is to be a Laker and to live in Los Angeles,” Windhorst said on The Dan Patrick Show. “Unless the Lakers did something to him to change the way he feels about them, which is not their MO, I don’t see that happening.”

James has played for the Cavaliers twice. He’s the best player in franchise history. The leading scorer in NBA history guided Cleveland to its only championship in 2016 against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. 

James appeared in 70 games for the Lakers during the 2024-25 regular season. He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks. The King is still an elite player despite being the oldest guy in the NBA. 

Despite having James and Doncic, the Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 playoffs in five games.

James, who suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee in Game 5, averaged 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks in the Lakers-Timberwolves series. 

After playing for the Cavaliers from 2014-15 to 2017-18, James signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2018.

Los Angeles missed the playoffs in 2019, won the championship in 2020, lost in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, missed the playoffs in 2022, lost in the conference finals in 2023 and lost in the first round of the 2024 and 2025 playoffs. 

Arguably the greatest player of all time, James has played for the Cavaliers (twice), Miami Heat and Lakers. He has career averages of 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks. 

James began his career with the Cavaliers. He wears No. 23. Next season would be year No. 23 for LeBron.

It would be a cool ending to his career if James played one more time for the Cavaliers, who would be title contenders with him on the roster. However, it doesn’t look like it will happen.