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Cavs viewed as favorites to bring LeBron James home once again
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- Cavs viewed as favorites to bring LeBron James home once again
There exists consensus in the NBA realm that LeBron James will be moving on from the Los Angeles Lakers after the current season.
That may be best for both sides in this case, given things are looking just a wee bit acrimonious at least on the part of one side, according to recent reports .
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The question that remains: Where will James land?
Even locally, sports talk shows are gaga over the prospect of Akron's native son returning to a revitalized Cleveland Cavaliers team that has NBA Finals aspirations.
Should recently acquired guard James Harden choose — he has a player option for next season — to remain with the team after this season, the Cavs could add another surefire Hall of Famer in James to try to realize those hoop dreams.
Jan 28, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) defends Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Don't laugh.
James may be 41, but in the world of the NBA a man of such "advanced" years averaging 22 points, 5.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists who shoots better than 50% from the field (50.2% to be exact) is still very much an asset. It makes sense for him to return to Cleveland, where it all began, where he enjoyed a prosperous middle of his career that included four NBA Finals appearances and a title — and where it could end in a blaze of glory if a combination of James, Harden and Donovan Mitchell can be realized.
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Who does leading oddsmaker BetOnline.ag see as the favorites to land James? For once, local sports fans may like these odds.
James is a 3-to-2 favorite to return to Cleveland, with the next closest being the Golden State Warriors with 3-to-1 odds.
Though it makes sense from financial (money always talks) and geographical perspectives (keeping him on the West Coast), some fans may view a move to northern California as a bridge too far.
With a likely retirement tour coming up in his final season — BetOnline believes there's an 87.5% chance he returns next season — it would seem odd to find him in any other uniform than that of one of three NBA teams he's played, with the Miami Heat completing the trio.
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Here are the top five teams, based on odds, who could land LeBron James :
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Cavs 3/2
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Warriors 3/1
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New York Knicks (which would probably reunite him with former coach Mike Browns) 4/1
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Denver Nuggets 6/1
George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: The odds are in Cleveland Cavs favor to land LeBron James — again
