There is growing belief in league circles that LeBron James will depart the Los Angeles Lakers this summer to play his final season with his hometown franchise, the Cleveland Cavaliers, before riding off into the sunset. Donovan Mitchell, the Cavaliers’ current franchise star, is well aware of the rumors.
Mitchell was asked to address the reports during his appearance on “SiriusXM NBA Radio” on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s All-Star Game.
“As a Bron fan, to be able to be a teammate would obviously be special, but that’s not something that’s [in] my control,” Mitchell said.
“I control what we got here, he continued. “There’s always going to be reports. It’s natural, and it’s going to be a thing. But at the end of the day, my main focus right now is trying to get this championship. Whatever happens, it happens. That’s not up to me.”
LeBron James Retirement ‘For the Ages’
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported last week that the NBA is preparing for a LeBron James retirement tour “for the ages” next year that will see the 4-time NBA champion link up with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley , and the talented Cavs roster.
“I certainly don’t know what he’s going to do,” MacMahon said of James. “I know what the rampant speculation is around the league, and that is this summer there’s going to be a reunion and potentially a retirement tour for the ages back home again with the Cleveland Cavaliers next year.”
Surely, airdropping James to a team that already boasts Mitchell, Mobley, James Harden , Jarrett Allen and rising star Jaylon Tyson could equate to a championship. However, Mitchell isn’t thinking that far ahead and is focused on this season.
“That’s not up to anybody else in the locker room,” Mitchell said of the LeBron James to Cavaliers rumors. “I’m big on believing in what I can control. But yeah, I mean, it’s LeBron James.
“At the end of the day, that’s not my focus. I know I’m going to get asked about that all weekend, but my focus is that we just traded for James Harden, Dennis Schroder , Keon Ellis . Let’s try to find a way to get a ring and go from there.”
Lakers to Move On From LeBron?
The Cavaliers, who own the NBA’s highest payroll for the 2025-26 season, are once again projected to be a second-apron team next year, complicating their pursuit of James or any other free agent. Some insiders have suggested the Cavs might allow James Harden to walk as a free agent and possibly trade Jarrett Allen to create some space for James. Others have floated the idea of James signing with the Cavaliers on a veteran minimum deal to allow the franchise to retain its core pieces.
Meanwhile, the Lakers, who could open $100M in cap space this offseason, seem ready to move on from LeBron James and hand the keys of the franchise to Luka Doncic . According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst , the Lakers are unwilling to bring James back for another year unless the NBA’s all-time scoring leader agrees to return on a lower salary.
“…The Lakers almost certainly are going to ask him to take a pay cut, potentially a significant one,” Windhorst said. ”
“Would he be comfortable doing that to help the team build out, similar to what Dirk Nowitzki did in Dallas at the end of his career? Or would he consider if he doesn’t like the Lakers’ plan and offer, going somewhere else?”
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