LeBron James to Cleveland Cavaliers Deal Done? Multiple Reports Suggest Sweepstakes Are Already Over
· Yahoo Sports
Some new reporting suggests that teams like the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers can end their pursuits of LeBron James because a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a third and final run has already been agreed to.
Following a bunch of big trades, including a blockbuster deal that sent Milwaukee Bucks legend Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat and Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown to the Sixers, the biggest story in the NBA at the moment is on the future of the 22-time All-Star.
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Since informing the Los Angeles Lakers he won’t return for a ninth season, the top contenders for the future Hall of Famer are believed to be the Heat, Cavaliers, 76ers and Warriors. However, in recent days, it seems like the Cavs are emerging as the clear favorite to win the sweepstakes. Now, several new reports make it seem like the race is already over.
Cleveland Cavaliers had advantage in LeBron James sweepstakes?
The first comes from The Athletic’s Joe Vardon.
“League executives who spoke with The Athletic said there was only one team executive believed to have had direct contact with James during this free agency: Brandon Weems, a childhood friend of LeBron who works in Cleveland’s front office and appeared in photographs posted to social media of James and his friends partying in Akron, Ohio over the July 4 holiday.”
– Joe Vardon
That nugget of intel is notable because, as of now, James has passed on a free-agent tour or in-person meetings with team representatives. Instead, as ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported on Thursday, club reps are sending voice messages to his agent, Rich Paul, and then those audio files are passed on to the future Hall of Famer.
Another rumor pointing to James returning to his first and third teams comes from ESPN Cleveland host Emmett Golden. The radio personality claimed this week that a reliable source from the past informed him that the word on “the streets” is that “Bron and Bronny are coming back to Cleveland.”
Obviously, thoughts from “the streets” must be taken with several large grains of salt. But it is interesting nonetheless. However, it seems that Golden isn’t the only one hearing rumblings about James returning to the Cavaliers for the 2026-27 NBA season.
Bill Simmons claims James to Cavaliers deal ‘done’
According to popular podcast and NBA expert Bill Simmons, Golden State has been used as leverage by James and his team to set up a return to Cleveland under the circumstances that he prefers. When he was asked about this supposed leverage, Simmons had a bold response.
“The Cleveland [deal] is done.”
– Bill Simmons
Obviously, this is all speculation. But it sure seems like there are a ton of signs pointing toward a James and Cavaliers reunion becoming official soon.
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