Report: Cavaliers would welcome LeBron back for 3rd stint

The Cleveland Cavaliers are open to bringing the King home.

The team would welcome a third stint with LeBron James if the Los Angeles Lakers star wants to play in Cleveland next season, sources told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

Now over midway through his record 23rd season, James hasn't divulged his plans following the campaign. The NBA's all-time scoring leader, whose contract expires this summer, has repeatedly insisted that he hasn't decided on a potential retirement.

James has been with L.A. since 2018, when he opted out of his contract with the Cavaliers and signed a four-year, $153.5-million deal with the Lakers. He helped L.A. capture its 17th and most recent title in 2020. However, the Lakers have since suffered three first-round exits, and their only conference finals appearance ended in a quick sweep at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in 2023.

Whether Los Angeles wants to bring back James is unclear. The two sides failed to reach an agreement on an extension last summer, and a report earlier in January suggested that Lakers governor Jeanie Buss had reportedly grown frustrated with James in recent years. Buss, however, quickly rebuffed those rumors, while James said he didn't care about the report.

The Akron, Ohio, native led the Cavaliers to their first and only championship in 2016, when they overturned a 3-1 series deficit in the Finals against the Golden State Warriors. He led the team to four straight Finals matchups versus the Warriors from 2015-18. The run extended James' personal streak to eight consecutive Finals appearances, dating back to his first year with the Miami Heat in 2011.

In total, James has spent 11 of his 23 seasons with the Cavaliers, who drafted him first overall in 2003. He leads the organization in multiple all-time categories, including games played (849), points (23,119), rebounds (6,190), assists (6,228), and steals (1,376). He also remains Cleveland's career triple-doubles leader with 64.