Brian Windhorst says Cavs would obviously want LeBron for $3M annually

Recently, there has been a lot of chatter about the future of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James after he opted into his contract with the Lakers for the 2025-26 season but seemingly left the door open for a departure via trade.

Naturally, the situation has led to speculation about whether the veteran could end up back with the Cleveland Cavaliers through a trade, a scenario that appears unlikely.

The idea of James eventually being available as a free agent and willing to sign a deal worth the veteran minimum with the Cavs may not be much likelier, but if that situation were to ever present itself, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst is confident that the Cavs would definitely be on board. Windhorst even laughed at the question.

James signing a deal worth the minimum with the Cavs this offseason (or at some point during the 2025-26 season) would require the Lakers to buy him out of his contract, a scenario that seems incredibly unlikely.

But the future Hall of Famer is currently scheduled to become a free agent next offseason, so if he does hit the open market in the summer of 2026, perhaps the Cavs will be a team to watch. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’d be willing to take a discount to return to Cleveland, however.

There are some pros and cons to the idea of the Cavs adding James for a third stint with the franchise, but there’s no doubt that Cleveland would have the full attention of the NBA world if he were to return. James is from Ohio, was drafted by the Cavs and won a title with them in 2016. He may be remembered best for his time in a Cleveland uniform when all is said and done.

But for now, he is a Laker, and Los Angeles has made a couple of moves this offseason that may increase James’ level of confidence in the team’s title chances going into the new season. With newcomer Deandre Ayton in the fold at center, L.A. now has a more complete roster than it did when it was eliminated from the playoffs in the 2024-25 season.