The Los Angeles Lakers would like to bring LeBron James back for his 24th season, but first, he'll have to decide if he wants to keep playing. If that's the case, there is no guarantee he will stay in LA, and the information that Shams Charania relayed on ESPN on Monday is enough proof of that.
"I know a lot of teams are calling him and his camp. I spoke to Rich Paul the other day at the Chicago draft combine, and he told me that every contender in the NBA has essentially, since the season ended, placed a call. That line is going to continue to be open."
The indication has been that if James does keep playing, it will be in LA. Most importantly, it's where his family is. Staying in the area will allow him to spend more time with his wife and daughter. He gets to play with Bronny, and his youngest son, Bryce, is a short plane ride away in Arizona. We know that being present for as many moments as possible matters to him.
Still, if contract discussions turn into a sticking point because of how much the Lakers are willing/can offer, LeBron could decide to look elsewhere to the teams that have reached out to Paul. Or his camp could do that regardless, exploring all avenues before deciding which way to proceed.
Could LeBron be tempted enough by one to leave LA for the 2026-27 season?
Rich Paul says contenders have already reached out to him about LeBron
The top two teams that come to mind are the Cavaliers and Warriors. Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported in January that Cleveland would welcome LeBron back for a third stint. Meanwhile, Golden State is reportedly interested in James teaming up with Steph Curry in the Bay.
Maybe even Boston reached out after its season flamed out in the second round of the playoffs at the hands of Joel Embiid and Philadelphia. The same goes for Denver, a team trying to figure out what direction to go in around Nikola Jokić.
It's hard to believe that every contender has reached out to Paul, but we know there are other suitors out there who could sway LeBron away from LA. It feels like Cleveland has the best shot at doing so, but the fact that he'd have to relocate across the country, at least temporarily, wouldn't exactly be ideal. That's his home, though. Ending things where it all began would be poetic.
New York could also be a threat, as ending his illustrious career in MSG would be a storybook ending, though who knows how interested the Knicks would be in making that happen.
If the Lakers truly want to bring James back (and they've given no indication otherwise), they could have more competition than they thought. Los Angeles should've already known that, but especially after hearing what Paul told Charania, the organization shouldn't automatically assume it has the upper hand. Other teams are already lurking in the shadows, getting an idea of what it'd take to bring LeBron to their side.
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