We're not sure when LeBron James will announce his plans for the 2026-27 season, but ESPN's Brian Windhorst continues to drop clues on the radio.
Windhorst, who has covered James for the past two decades and change, has been claiming the Cleveland Cavaliers are in the driver's seat to sign the NBA's all-time leading scorer. However, he's not ready to make a guarantee at this time.
In fact, Windhorst claims the Cavaliers may have to trade Max Strus in order to free up space for James.
"The vibe feels right with Cleveland, the vibe feels right with Miami, but it's just a vibe, it's not anything that he's actually said publicly or anybody that I've talked to. The people that I've talked to are all basing it on vibes," Windhorst said. "... If you see the Cavs move Max Strus, you will know that there's some sort of action there."
Strus, who averaged 11.2 points per game this past season, is set to have a $16.66 million cap hit for the Cavaliers. If he gets moved, that would free up money for James. As of this moment, the Cavaliers don't have a ton of money to offer the Akron native.
© David Richard-Imagn Images.
It might be a 3-team race.
ESPN insider Shams Charania said the Cavaliers, Heat and 76ers have emerged as the top options for James over the past week.
While there's plenty of smoke surrounding James and the Cavaliers, the 76ers apparently helped out their stock by acquiring Jaylen Brown this offseason.
“When the Sixers got Jaylen Brown… [LeBron James is] taking their pitch really seriously," Charania said. "I look at it, when I talk to teams now, as kind of a hierarchy of Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia."
If the Cavaliers want to ensure they land James this offseason, they may have to make a few tweaks to their roster. With that being said, we'll be keeping a close eye on Strus and his future in Cleveland.
