He will become a free agent this summer and there is a feeling, at least to some extent, that this will be the end of him with the Lakers. The Cleveland Cavaliers made a pair of moves before last week’s trade deadline that trimmed their payroll, and those moves could be seen as a pretext for a reunion between James and the Cavaliers.
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ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on “NBA Today” that there is “rampant speculation” around the league about James returning to his original team and going on “a forever retirement tour.”
“I know what the rampant speculation is around the league is that this summer there will be a reunion and potentially a forever home retirement tour with the Cleveland Cavaliers next year.”
James, of course, spent his first seven NBA seasons with Cleveland and then returned to the team in 2014 for four more seasons after spending four years with the Miami Heat. In 2016, he gave the Cavs their first championship after they overcame a 3-1 series deficit against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
The 41-year-old continues to play at a superstar level this season. He’s averaging 22 points on 50.3% shooting from the field, 5.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game, and on Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks he became the oldest player in league history to record a triple-double.
After that game, he said the mental aspect of basketball, and not whether he can still play at a high level, will determine how much longer he stays in the NBA.
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This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Speculation about LeBron James’ retirement tour with Cavaliers