Kevin Love doesn’t ‘get a feel’ that LeBron James is interested in return to Cavaliers, but ‘it could change’

Would the Cleveland Cavaliers welcome LeBron James back again? “I mean, that’s like a storybook ending for him,” Love said. “I don’t want to project what he may or may not want to do, but where our team is trending and how we’re set up to win for a very long time and how much you know, Cleveland and Akron and all of Ohio loves him. It’d be great to get Bronny over here too and then we’ll call it a day.” -via FanSided / April 5, 2022

For one, LeBron has another year left on his contract. So if he were to try and get back to Cleveland for next season, when the Cavs could be really good, Cleveland would either have to trade a bunch of the young players that are part of the team’s exciting core — which LeBron really likes — and probably throw in Kevin Love’s expiring $30 million contract, which the Lakers probably wouldn’t want in a rebuild. Two summers from now, LeBron would be a free agent, but he’s said his last goal in the NBA is to play with his eldest son, Bronny, who as of now will be NBA draft-eligible in the summer of 2024. The easiest, most logical place for the James family to play together is in Los Angeles, where the Lakers, with Paul’s help, can draft or sign him as a free agent. It’s much cleaner if Paul tries to direct Bronny to a team where his dad already plays. -via The Athletic / March 22, 2022

Could James use the Clippers as leverage to get the Lakers to be aggressive in making moves this summer? During a March 7 episode of “The Lowe Post” podcast, ESPN’s Zach Lowe and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons discussed potential options for the Lakers to improve their roster. Lowe noted that James going to the Clippers would be a “hard no” from the Lakers star. “I actually have floated this to some people who might know, would LeBron ever go to the Clippers?” Lowe pondered. “And the answer was, ‘hard no, hard no.’” -via Heavy.com / March 12, 2022