LeBron James could sign with the Miami Heat since the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors are not interested in acquiring Anthony Davis from the Washington Wizards, sources told Dallas Hoops Journal.
James played for the Heat from 2010-14. He won two MVPs, two championships and two Finals MVPs and made four All-Star teams and four All-NBA teams.
Heat forwards Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo have recruited James this summer, sources said. Signing with Miami would allow James to play golf all year and avoid state income taxes.
“Klutch is trying to get AD to Cleveland or Golden State,” a source told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Neither team wants to do it. Miami is the frontrunner now. Giannis and Bam have been in LeBron’s ear nonstop.”
Davis, who played with James on the Los Angeles Lakers, becomes extension-eligible on August 6. Neither the Warriors nor the Cavaliers want to pay Davis max money, sources said, making a trade unlikely.
Klutch Sports Group, led by Rich Paul, thought it would be “super easy” to get the Cavaliers or Warriors to trade for Davis, sources said. Since that’s not the case, the Heat have emerged as the leader to sign James since Miami doesn’t have to trade for Davis. The team already has Antetokounmpo and Adebayo and strong role players in Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, Bobby Portis and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is very close with James and president Pat Riley and James are on good terms again. Riley was upset that James left Miami for Cleveland in the summer of 2014, but that’s water under the bridge now.
“Clearly, Riles thinks it’s possible (LeBron goes to Miami) for him to be on podcasts discussing it,” a source told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Haven’t seen Riles talk publicly in a long time. Usually it’s like once after the season.”
James has been in the NBA since 2003. He’s a four-time MVP, four-time champion and four-time Finals MVP. The future Hall of Famer is the all-time leader in points, field goals, minutes and games. Many individuals consider James to be the greatest player in NBA history.
The only player in NBA history to rank top five all-time in points and assists, James holds career averages of 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game in the regular season and 28.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game in the playoffs with the Cavaliers, Heat and Lakers. He won the 2012 and 2013 championships with the Heat, the 2016 championship with the Cavaliers and the 2020 championship with the Lakers.
A 22-time All-Star and the only player in NBA history to win Finals MVP with three teams, James played in 60 regular-season games last season for the Lakers. He averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. The all-world forward put up 23.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game in the 2026 playoffs in 10 games against the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder.
James, who has made 21 All-NBA teams, remains an elite performer despite being the oldest active player in the NBA, which is why so many teams are interested in signing him.
It will be intriguing to see where James is playing next season. The sports icon turns 42 in December.
Dallas Hoops Journal senior reporter Grant Afseth contributed to this report.
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