LeBron James will become an unrestricted free agent next offseason for the first time since 2018. The leading scorer in NBA history will make $52.6 million next season in the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The last time James was a free agent, he left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Lakers.
If James doesn’t retire after this season and the Cavaliers don’t win the 2026 championship, one NBA executive can see Cleveland “going hard” after the basketball legend.
“Next season is a big year for Cleveland,” an NBA executive told Cavaliers Nation. “Tyrese [Haliburton] is out. Jayson [Tatum] is most likely out. The East is wide open. It’s there for the Cavaliers to take. They should win the conference next season. There’s no excuses. And once you get to the Finals, anything can happen. I actually think they match up really well against OKC.
“I’ll tell you this right now: If the Cavaliers don’t win it all next season, I can see them going hard after LeBron. Everyone knows Dan [Gilbert] wants to win a title without him, but if they can’t win the championship next season, adding LeBron to that group would be a cheat code. I know he’ll be 42, but it’s LeBron. He will always be an elite force.”
James turns 41 in December. He’s the oldest active player in the NBA. If the four-time MVP plays in 2026-27, he’ll be 42 years old.
However, James isn’t your average player. After all, he made the All-NBA Second Team and finished sixth in MVP voting last season at 40 years old.
James has seemingly become the first player in NBA history to defeat Father Time.
It’s unknown if James will play in 2026-27, but if he does, don’t be surprised if the four-time champion and four-time Finals MVP takes a meeting with his hometown Cavaliers once free agency starts in the summer of 2026.
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