Ahead of this season’s trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers surprised many when they decided to break up their star-studded backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland to pair the Spida with LA Clippers veteran James Harden. However, since then, following Harden’s debut against the Sacramento Kings, the Wine & Gold have gone 3-0 and are making a strong case for themselves as contenders from the East, and LeBron James agrees.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ star, who has a lot of history with the Cavs, is among the many who have started to take notice of what’s brewing in Cleveland. Although it’s still quite early to predict where the franchise will go from here with Harden and Mitchell leading the lines, the Akron Hammer believes that they could go all the way to the NBA Finals and maybe even end their championship drought.

“They’re going for it,” James said on the Mind the Game podcast. “They felt like they needed another playmaker. Someone who’s been there, kind of been in that situation before. And they added James (Harden), a perennial All-Star, who’s still putting up All-Star numbers. Gives you another Donovan Mitchell, like, ball handler guy who can make shots late in the game.”

Last season, despite finishing with the best record in the franchise’s history, the Cavaliers fell short in the playoffs. They couldn’t get past the red-hot Indiana Pacers team in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. And the biggest reason for their defeat was Donovan Mitchell having to carry the entire offensive load on his shoulders. Darius Garland, who was supposed to take some of the weight off of him, was dealing with a lingering foot issue.

That’s been the story for almost the entire time Garland was in Cleveland. Seemingly, the front office had enough, as they decided to go all in and bring in James Harden in exchange for him and a second-round pick, who can share the load with the Spida. Nonetheless, it’s not just the Beard’s arrival that has led LeBron James to make such a bold statement for his former team; there’s more that has impressed the King.

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“Those pickups that they get from Sac as well. (Dennis) Schroder, a former teammate of mine, is going to compete every single night, and Keon Ellis,” James further emphasized. “The guy’s going to compete, make shots. Like, those guys are going to be, I think, really, really good for the team. Especially in the East, where it’s a lot of like, a lot of bulk, a lot of like, you gotta have some dawgs in there. So I think they added a lot.”

James seemingly is quite impressed with the way the Cavaliers’ front office has handled their business. Well, there’s no doubt that with the Eastern Conference wide open this season, Cleveland has decided to take its shot. Now, whether or not they can go all the way to the NBA Championship? Only time will tell. But, regardless of that, things could get even better, as rumors of a potential LeBron James reunion have started swirling around.

The Cavaliers are once again among the favorites to land LeBron James

Even though LeBron James is currently a Los Angeles Lakers star, that might not be the case for long. That is because the 41-year-old’s current two-year $101.3 million extension is about to come to an end this summer. This means James will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 campaign is concluded. And with the Purple & Gold seemingly moving on from the veteran, he might be on the move.

Amid this, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon believes that the four-time NBA champion might be gearing up for a farewell tour with his original team– the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I know what the rampant speculation is around the league, and that is this summer there’s going to be a reunion and potentially a retirement tour for the ages back home again with the Cleveland Cavaliers next year,” he said on NBA Today.

Well, that doesn’t come as a massive surprise given that James, of course, spent his initial years in Cleveland before returning to the city to spend four more seasons, even giving the franchise its first-ever championship back in 2016. Nonetheless, while most of the fans might view this as a nostalgic signing, it might not be the whole truth.

Despite being 41 right now, LeBron James is still playing at a high level. He’s averaging 22.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game thus far. This goes to show that he still brings a lot to the table, even though he might not be the same player he once was. So, he could actually be a great addition for the Cavs, especially if he signs on a minimum. But will that actually happen? That we’ll have to wait and watch.