The dream returns to Ohio: Harden, Mitchell... and LeBron?

The first seismic move is unlikely to be the last – but it has been the biggest so far, if only because it is the first to truly reshape the hierarchy and the list of favorites. Suddenly, the Clippers have walked away from the impressive comeback they were building and appear resigned to staying put, unless something changes with Darius Garland, halting their upward momentum. On the other hand, the Cavaliers have instantly become one of the league’s most significant teams, flipping the Eastern Conference landscape on its head – shifting from a stalled project to one that wants to compete for a title right now, rather than waiting indefinitely to dream about rewards that may never come. That is what happens in an NBA that waits for no one. Sooner or later, everyone learns that lesson.

Normal is normal, whatever that means, but that is precisely why things have accelerated in front offices across Ohio. In 2023, Cleveland reached the playoffs for the first time without LeBron James since 1998; the following year, they advanced past the first round without him for the first time since 1993. That was as far as they went last season, despite replacing J.B. Bickerstaff – now doing outstanding work with the Pistons – with Kenny Atkinson and piling up 64 wins. It made no difference. The familiar drop-off arrived right on schedule, the project felt increasingly outdated, and everyone began asking the same question: what comes next? The ceiling was low. A conference semifinals appearance, in an Eastern Conference as underwhelming as this one, felt like faint praise at best. Something had to change.

And it did – both to stave off fan backlash and to offer a new direction. The acquisition of Harden is a blunt statement of intent: short, clear, decisive. The Cavaliers are no longer content to simply build the ideal ecosystem around Donovan Mitchell and wait for young prospects to make the leap. Instead, they are all-in with Harden, a player averaging 25.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 8.1 assists this season while shooting close to 42% from three. That alone suggests Cleveland will push as far as they can this year. And if that falls short, there is always a second bullet next season. That is where the familiar silhouette appears on the horizon: LeBron James.

Dreams and reality

Signing Harden, combined with the increasingly bleak situation of the King in Los Angeles, inevitably fuels a theory that has long hovered in the background: a potential return of the franchise’s eternal figure to the Cavaliers. Back to Ohio. Back to Akron. Back to Cleveland – the place that shaped him and the team most closely tied to his legacy, the one with which he delivered the promised championship in 2016. It would be the perfect way to close the circle for a player who is now 41 and deep into his 23rd professional season. The Cavs are surely aware of that, too. As an expiring contract and a likely free agent, a veteran minimum deal or a sharp pay cut from his current salary of more than $50 million would be required to make the numbers work in his old home.

Yet beyond the emotional pull of a LeBron return, it is hard to imagine him, from a purely basketball perspective, being directly tied to a title chase in the Cleveland context as it now stands. There are also practical questions. Harden slows the game down, dominates the ball, and would need to coexist with Donovan Mitchell, who is averaging 28.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists and is firmly among the NBA’s elite. Mitchell likes to assert himself. Neither he nor Harden is known for being especially easy to manage, and Harden, in particular, has rarely stayed comfortable anywhere for long. Can that pairing work? The plan is clearly short-term – because of age, timing, and the reality that neither player fits a long runway. But if it works… well, if it works.

Adding LeBron to that equation, with everything he brings on and off the court, makes the puzzle even harder to solve. Still, no one knows whether Cleveland’s gamble is solely about chasing a championship this season or if it is also laying the groundwork for the return of its messiah. That answer should arrive this summer. For now, all signs point to the King finishing the season with the Lakers. Even so, the mere possibility is as compelling as it is questionable as a basketball decision. It would, unquestionably, be the perfect closing chapter to one of the greatest stories the sport has ever told – the story of LeBron James. So the question remains: is a return to Cleveland actually on the table?

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.