Cavaliers Interested in LeBron James Reunion Under 1 Condition: Report originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
What team LeBron James plays for next season is arguably the hottest topic of the NBA offseason.
The 40-year-old Los Angeles Lakers forward recently exercised his $52.6 million player option for next season, keeping him in L.A. for at least one more season.
But according to James’ agent Rich Paul, he’s “monitoring the team’s offseason moves” closely to make sure they’re building a championship-caliber roster as James has made it clear he wants to win at least one more NBA championship before he retires.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future,” Paul told ESPN’s Shams Charania. “We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him.”
And while the likeliest scenario for James is that he stays with the Lakers in 2025, there has been plenty of speculation that he could also be traded.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that four teams have recently reached out to Paul with interest in trading for the 21-time All-Star. Noted NBA insider Scoop Robinson reported those four teams are the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers.
A James-Cavaliers reunion has gained some momentum in recent weeks with several of the top sports talk shows talking about the storylines that would come from seeing James’ final NBA run with his hometown team.
But according to a report from Hoops Wire, the Cavaliers are only interested in bringing James back under one specific condition.
“Sources said that Cleveland is only interested in James in a buyout situation,” Hoops Wire reported. “… Next season will be James’ 23rd campaign in the NBA. His jersey number is No. 23 and he began his career with the Cavaliers. It would be a storybook ending for James to finish his career in Cleveland, but for that to happen, a buyout with the Lakers has to take place first.”
If James and the Lakers agreed to a buyout, he would be free to sign with the team of his choosing.
James spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Cavaliers (2003-2010) before leaving to join the Miami Heat (2010-2014) and then going back to the Cleveland for four more years (2014-2018).
In his 11 years with the Cavs, James averaged 27.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared.