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LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the first half of a game against the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena on April 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the teams linked to LeBron James ahead of NBA free agency.
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert recently made an admission about James, whose future with the Los Angeles Lakers is uncertain.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, there has been barely any communication between James and the Lakers since teams were able to negotiate with their own free agents after the NBA Finals.
Dan Gilbert’s LeBron James Admission
GettyLeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the second half of Game One of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on April 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Speaking to Nayeema Raza on the Smart Girl Dumb Questions podcast, Dan Gilbert opened up about the time he penned a letter for Cleveland Cavaliers fans in 2010. Gilbert poured his heart out after LeBron James decided to leave the Cavs and take his talents to South Beach to sign with the Miami Heat.
Gilbert even promised that the Cavs would win the NBA title before James, though it never happened. He became a laughing stock on the internet because of it, admitting that he was embarrassed by what he wrote back then.
“I mean, I admitted that the letter was a stupid thing,” Gilbert said, via HoopsHype. “And for me personally, at that time, if you Googled my name, I mean, I think I’ve done some other stuff in my career, and that would be the only thing that came up. That was embarrassing for me.”
Things changed four years later when James returned to the Cavaliers. He would lead the Cavs to their first-ever NBA championship in 2016, completely repairing his relationship to the franchise and the city of Cleveland.
Gilbert had no problem when James left the Cavs for a second time in 2018 after one NBA title and four NBA Finals appearances.
LeBron James Sign-And-Trade To Cleveland?
GettyLeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks to the media during a press conference after the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 11, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
The Cleveland Cavaliers don’t have enough cap space to sign LeBron James in free agency unless the 41-year-old takes a massive pay cut.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst then floated the idea of James rejoining the Cavaliers via a sign-and-trade involving Jarrett Allen.
“There is a thought process out there in Los Angeles, and I think if the Cavs were interested in this, the Lakers would sit up at attention right now, that they would sign-and-trade LeBron for Jarrett Allen,” Windhorst said, via Silver Screen and Roll. “And I think if the Cavs were willing to do that, they could have LeBron.
“Obviously, LeBron would have to want to sign with the Cavs. But your pathway to pay LeBron the money is to trade Jarrett Allen for him. The Lakers would kill for Jarrett Allen. Kill for him! They would do that deal in 17 tenths of a second.”
The Lakers get a perfect center to pair with Luka Doncic in Allen, while the Cavaliers present an opportunity to win another ring and possibly a well-deserved, storybook farewell tour to James.
Juan Paolo David Juan Paolo David is a sports journalist covering basketball for Heavy. He has a decade of experience writing about the NBA and WWE. He's currently based in the Philippines. More about Juan Paolo David