ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins believes LeBron James wants to suit up for the Cleveland Cavaliers next season, but he's not going to guarantee a reunion at this time.
James confirmed this week that he's not returning to the Los Angeles Lakers. His agent, Rich Paul, said he wants to have a chance at a fifth title before eventually calling it a career. Both the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat have been mentioned as potential suitors for the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
The Cavaliers have also been mentioned as an option for James, albeit the smoke surrounding this marriage isn't very strong at the moment. For what it's worth though, Perkins is convinced James wants to return home for his 24th season. However, he thinks the roster needs to improve in order for James to take his talents back to Cleveland.
"I really feel this in my soul, that LeBron James is waiting to see if the Cavs are really going to do something," Perkins said. "But he's not going to go home if the roster is put together the way it was this past year."
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Perkins then mentioned Brian Windhorst's recent comments about the Cavaliers potentially pursing Jaylen Brown in a trade with the Boston Celtics.
“The Cleveland Cavaliers learned today that LeBron James will be willing to play for less than his market value salary. That changed everything. So how does Cleveland get LeBron James’ attention? Do they show him their beautiful, brand new practice facility they’re building? It is awesome. I saw it this week in Cleveland. That is not gonna impress him,” Windhorst said. “What’s going to impress him is what they do with their roster. So what can the Cavs do? James Harden opted out yesterday. He, from what I understand, is willing to partner with the Cavs to figure out a way how to improve the roster. Jaylen Brown is out there. Can the Cavs make a move for Jaylen Brown, then come to LeBron, and say, ‘How do you feel about us now?’ That’s the type of move that you’re gonna do to get LeBron James’ attention.”
There's no doubt that Brown, who averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game this past season, would be an excellent fit next to James. However, the Celtics want at least four first-round picks in order to part ways with him.
A return to Cleveland would be a storybook finish.
According to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, the belief around the league is that James will have a documentary crew film the entire 2026-27 season.
“Multiple league sources say LeBron has had discussions about filming the entire season, with live-streaming potentially folded into the final product,” O’Connor wrote. “So even if LeBron takes a discount on his NBA salary, the money could come back through the documentary.”
It'd be fitting for James to document his final NBA season while competing close to his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
At the end of the day though, James wants to compete for a championship. While the Cavaliers certainly have a playoff-caliber roster, they may need to take a huge swing in order to land a commitment from the greatest player in franchise history.
