The NBA‘s all-time points leader is ticketed for free agency, He will decline the Lakers extension and then decide
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers share a couple of similarities this postseason. Both teams bowed out of the NBA playoffs after losing their series in five games; however, unlike the Lakers, the Cavaliers managed to reach the second round. Now, both teams might find themselves competing to persuade a key player where to take his talents for the 2024/25 season.
LeBron James has a storied history with Cleveland, built over two significant periods with the Cavaliers. He has also cemented his legacy with the Lakers, having led them to a championship in 2020, four years after securing a title with Cleveland. Could the King possibly make a dramatic return to Cleveland this summer?
Fans take advantage of the Cavs’s playoff exit
The Cavaliers’ 2023/24 season concluded on Wednesday night with a 113-98 defeat to the Boston Celtics, who advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. With the season over, changes are anticipated in Cleveland, even though the Cavs progressed past the first round for the first time since LeBron James departed for Los Angeles in 2018. The future of head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is in question, and the franchise is likely to retain either Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell, potentially trading the other.
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert expressed his pride in the team on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday night. However, opportunistic fans, many of whom noticed LeBron at Game 4 of the series, seized the moment to urge Gilbert to reconnect with James and bring him back to Cleveland this summer.
Can it really happen
Speculation about LeBron James’ future is intensifying after the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets. James is expected to decline his player option for next season and enter free agency after six years in Los Angeles. Although the expectation is that the 39-year-old will eventually agree to new terms with the Lakers, it remains uncertain how much the franchise can improve after dismissing head coach Darvin Ham earlier this month.
With either Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell likely to stay and rising young big man Evan Mobley poised for another breakthrough season, LeBron might be considering one last stint with his hometown team.
