Byron Scott played for the Lakers. He coached the Cavaliers. He coached the Lakers. He’s stayed involved with the NBA.
And while it’s just an opinion, it’s his opinion that LeBron James will return to the Cavs in free agency this summer.
“I think this is his final year with the Lakers,” Scott said on his podcast. “I think he’ll go back to Cleveland and play one more year there.”
Scott doesn’t pretend to have any inside information. But like many others, myself included, he believes a James-to-the-Cavs reunion would make sense.
For starters, I have my doubts about the Lakers wanting James back. As has been pointed out, they’ve been better without him. And if LeBron isn’t LeBron anymore (he’s not), fans in Cleveland will be way more willing to look past that than those in LA.
A farewell tour would also be a bigger deal with the Cavs. That’s not a shot at the Lakers — it’s just that LeBron remains synonymous with his hometown team.
Now, while I think a return is possible, I also think retirement is on the table. He could just walk away in June. My thought is James isn’t going to play if he’s just sort of a role player. And frankly, at 41, that may be his best role.
That said, he enters Tuesday with averages of 21.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 7.0 assists. That’s not the LeBron James people are used to, but it’s still pretty good.
And there is a large segment of Cavs fans that would love to have any LeBron in their uniform one last time.
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