DHJ Quick Take
- No Major Pay Cut: LeBron James is reportedly not interested in taking a drastic reduction in salary to facilitate a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer.
- Unrestricted Market: The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason for the first time since leaving Cleveland for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
- Primary Career Options: If James decides against retirement, league insiders continue to view re-signing with the Lakers or returning to his hometown Cavaliers as his most likely paths.
NBA legend LeBron James is not interested in taking a drastic pay cut to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
James becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason for the first time since 2018. If the future Hall of Famer doesn’t retire from the NBA, he’s widely expected to either re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers or return to his hometown Cavaliers for a third and final stint.
Cleveland lost to the New York Knicks in this year’s conference finals in four games. All-Stars James Harden and Donovan Mitchell are largely expected to be on the roster next season.
In two stints with the Cavaliers, James averaged 27.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks per game in the regular season and 30.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in the postseason. The Akron native won two MVPs, one championship and one Finals MVP and made 10 All-Star teams with the Wine and Gold.
The 2015-16 Cavaliers, led by James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, beat the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals in seven games. That Cleveland team is the only squad in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals.
James averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals and 2.3 blocks per game in the 2016 NBA Finals en route to winning Finals MVP. The swingman last played for the Cavaliers during the 2017-18 season. Cleveland lost to Golden State in the 2018 NBA Finals in four games and James left home for the Lakers in free agency shortly after.
Arguably the greatest player in NBA history, James is a four-time MVP, four-time champion and four-time Finals MVP. He is the NBA’s all-time leader in points, field goals, games, minutes and wins.
If James doesn’t retire from the NBA this summer, it will be intriguing to see where he’s playing next season. It will likely be the Lakers or Cavaliers, although James has been linked to the Warriors and Knicks as well.
A 22-time All-Star, James played in 60 games this regular season for the Lakers. He averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game while shooting 51.5% from the field, 31.7% from beyond the arc and 73.7% from the free-throw line.
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