Return To Cleveland? Next Team Odds For LeBron
LeBron Could Follow Son Bronny Next Season

One of the biggest questions in the NBA this offseason is what LeBron James will do. Considering that his Los Angeles Lakers had a disappointingly short postseason run and that his son (Bronny James) is expected to get drafted in June, James could be motivated to opt out of his contract and become a free agent.
He has a player option and needs to decide by the end of June whether he wants to exercise it and remain with the Lakers for another year or turn it down and test the market. So, it’s worth looking at LeBron James’s next team odds.
There is a lot of talk about James potentially trying to push his way to whatever team drafts Bronny, who played just one season at USC. But, if the team that decides to select him knows that it can potentially attract James by drafting Bronny, then he may rocket up draft boards.
James may be 39 years old but he’s still the biggest star in the NBA and he can lift a mediocre team into a playoff team or a playoff team into a legitimate contender. LeBron James has more career points than anyone in NBA history, any team will make room for him.
Let’s take a look at some of the most likely teams James could potentially go to and also analyze the likelihood of him staying with the Lakers. Los Angeles came on strong toward the end of the season and despite the quick loss to the Denver Nuggets, they have a playoff-caliber roster that — with James — is a tough opponent. Returning is always an option, but so is seeing who else is out there:
Los Angeles Lakers (-450)
James can exercise his player option and opt into his $51.4 million contract for the 2024-25 season and play for the Lakers through his 40th birthday. As the LeBron James next team odds indicate, this is still the most likely outcome because James already lives in LA, he’ll be able to essentially hand-pick his next coach and Anthony Davis still has good years left.
At -450, it’s not great value to take James to go back but sometimes the correct solution is the simplest one. It’s just a lot easier for him if he stays and the Lakers organization — if James wants — could certainly find a way to get Bronny in purple-and-gold.
Cleveland Cavaliers (+700)
The Lakers rumors aside, Cleveland would make a lot of sense for James as well. He could potentially end his career with his hometown team that he already (successfully) returned to once. Cleveland has plenty of interesting young pieces already on the roster and if he wants to play with Donovan Mitchell, the Cavaliers are in the enviable position of already having an All-Star on the roster. James’s life is pretty much split between Los Angeles and Cleveland. This wouldn’t be a particularly taxing move for him.
Value-wise, +700 is pretty good for a very realistic spot for James to wind up at. The only argument against a return to Cleveland is that LeBron finished his business there when he won the championship in 2016.
Golden State Warriors (+1200)
Now this is more of the interesting NBA player props today you can take. James teaming up with the other defining player of this era of NBA basketball — Stephen Curry — could be incredibly appealing, he could stay in California, just head a few hours north. The Warriors have a coach in Steve Kerr who is incredibly well-respected around the league and has a very strong internal culture that has led to an enormous amount of success over the last decade.
Otherwise, there isn’t a ton connecting LeBron to the Warriors but he is friends with Curry and the combination of those two would be incredible not only on the court but in terms of media coverage of it. It would be one of the most fascinating teammate duos in league history, potentially going back to Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant on the Lakers.
Philadelphia 76ers (+2000)
The LeBron James next team odds are intriguing for Philadelphia because it’s already a big media market that has a major superstar in Joel Embiid and an up-and-coming star in Tyrese Maxey. A lot of roster shuffling would be needed to make things work but the 76ers are a good team when healthy and the James-Embiid-Maxey group would be interesting on the court.
New York Knicks (+2500)
You can never discount the Knicks, even though they haven’t landed a major free agent in a very long time and a direct superstar since the Carmelo Anthony trade — Jalen Brunson developed into one afterward. James has always talked about how much he likes playing at Madison Square Garden and the power of him in New York could be seismic.
It’s hard to imagine him playing for Tom Thibodeau. But the Knicks have a solid core that could be elevated into a legitimate title contender with James and Brunson running the offense.
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