If It's True, I Don't Blame the Cavs For Not Wanting a LeBron Reunion

Over the past couple of weeks, there’s been a lot of noise surrounding LeBron James and the possibility of him leaving the Los Angeles Lakers. Naturally, when rumours about LeBron possibly leaving Los Angeles come up, the Cleveland Cavaliers always become part of the conversation. The Cavaliers are his hometown team; he has already had stints with the franchise (2003-2010 and 2014-2018) and won a championship in 2016, and assuming this would be his last stop in the NBA, there would be some emotional weight to the idea of one final stint with the team and city that gave him his start in the NBA.

While I am someone who would love to see this happen, according to several reports, the Cavaliers are apparently not that interested in a LeBron reunion—and honestly, I can’t blame them.

Let’s just start with how much the Cavaliers would need to trade back to the Lakers in a potential LeBron trade. To make the money work, it would almost certainly involve a trade. Cleveland would likely have to part ways with a major piece of its core—most likely one (or both) of Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen. That’s not an easy decision when you're talking about young, All-Star-calibre players entering their prime, all for a 40-year-old LeBron James who likely only has 1 or 2 elite years left.

Even if you were open to trading those players, I would wait for a Giannis Antetokounmpo or the next star in their prime to request a trade instead of bringing in LeBron for 1-2 years.

From a roster-building perspective, it just doesn’t make a ton of sense. You're not getting LeBron in his prime anymore. You’re mortgaging your long-term future and youth for a short-term push that may or may not result in a championship—and remember, the Cavs are already in position to contend next season without LeBron. This team just won 64 games in the regular season and finished as the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

If I were the Cavs, I would just run this core back one more time in an Eastern Conference that will be without Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum, who are expected to miss the entire season with Achilles injuries. With the East wide open, Cleveland could realistically be the favourites in the conference heading into 2025.

But beyond the basketball and financial logistics, I think there's something deeper at play here. There’s a pride aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked.

When LeBron left the Cavs for a second time, he didn’t leave them in great shape. In fact, Cleveland was in a full-blown rebuild for years after his departure—one of the worst teams in basketball. And yet, through smart drafting, development, and patience, they’ve built themselves back up to be a real contender again. Getting back to the NBA Finals, or even winning it, without LeBron would be one of the most impressive post-superstar rebuilds in league history.

Think about how Thunder fans feel watching OKC rise back to the top years after Kevin Durant left. There’s something poetic about doing it without the player who was once considered the franchise. If the Cavs were to make the Finals—or better yet, win it all—it would be huge for their franchise.

Would it be cool to see LeBron play one more season in Cleveland and get a storybook ending? Sure. But the Cavs have come too far to throw off the momentum. I wouldn’t blame them one bit for wanting to finish what they started—without the shadow of their former king.

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