CLEVELAND — LeBron James has already played for the Cavaliers on two occasions (and left them on two occasions), but he made it sound as if another Cleveland chapter could still be written.
“The door’s not closed on that,” James told Jason Lloyd of the Athletic about the possibility of returning to his hometown franchise. “I’m not saying I’m coming back and playing, I don’t know. I don’t know what my future holds. I don’t even know when I’m free.”
The Cavs, of course, have been on the rise behind a young roster that features the likes of Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, to name a few.
Meanwhile, James and his Lakers have struggled mightily to even stay in the playoff race out West. While the Cavs have become the NBA’s biggest surprise, the Lakers are perhaps its biggest disappointment.
“I think (Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman) and those guys have done an unbelievable job drafting and making trades,” James said. “I think big fella (Jarrett Allen), that acquisition was amazing for them to make that trade.
“Obviously Darius Garland is a big-time player. And I think the role that Kevin (Love) is playing right now has kind of uplifted those young guys, seeing a veteran that could sacrifice, a champion that’s won a championship, all the things that he’s done, to come off the bench and play this role. I am not surprised by anything that they’re doing right now.”
All of that said, James will be pushing 39-years old when his contract expires at the end of next season. And the Cavs wouldn’t really have anything available beyond the mid-level exception to sign James, as least not without breaking up their young core, as Lloyd noted.
“I don’t play mid-level basketball,” he said. “I don’t come back for anything below the top.”
So honestly, unless the Cavs were willing to revamp their roster for a close-to-40-year-old LeBron, the odds are probably against a return.
Wherever he goes for his next contract, James did say he wants to team up with his son, Bronny James, currently a junior in high school. Bronny may or may not be a true NBA prospect — as the jury is still very much out on that. If so, he won’t be eligible for the draft until 2024.
“My last year will be played with my son,” James said. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”
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