It can come to a full circle. Despite claiming last December “I came here (to the Lakers) to play the last stage of my career and to finish it off here,” whispers are turning louder for a LeBron James trade. The decision should’ve been out last week itself when the league’s all-time leading scorer announced his decision to take up a $52.6 million player option. But then came his agent Rich Paul’s double-edged statement– “LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all.” With that, comes the chance to return to Cleveland.

Yahoo Sports’ Tom Haberstroh seems to have quite made up his mind– “I think, for LeBron James, for winning a championship, he’s much better off going East and right now, Cleveland is the best team in the East and also the team that might be hungry to add a player who’s Second Team All-NBA last year, who’s already won a championship at Cleveland. He might be the missing piece.”

So far, Rob Pelinka’s offseason moves certainly don’t scream championship aspirations. At the same time, LeBron’s former Cleveland teammate Channing Frye also put it straight that the only reason why the current Cavs does not match-up to the Bron Cavs is because they lack “a bully,” someone like James. If all these arguments were not enough, LeBron’s latest social media activity might have dropped some hints.

LeBron James just might have his fans guessing where his eyes might be looking next. This time, it wasn’t a highlight reel or some cryptic crown emoji. It was a repost of Allie Clifton’s #JerseyDay Instagram story. Clifton, a former Cleveland Cavaliers sideline reporter and now Lakers pre/post-game host, shared a serene lake day moment with her husband—both of them repping the Cavs jersey. She tagged LeBron too, captioning it: “Only 1 we rock.”

LeBron saw it and, well, approved with a “proper attire” stamp. Subtle? Yes. Meaningless? Absolutely not—this is LeBron James we’re talking about. Nothing is ever just vibes. Cue the NBA rumor mill going full-on hyperdrive. We’ve got former Cavs sideline reporters stoking the nostalgic flames. But then, enter Haberstroh—respected voice and NBA insider—who basically lit a bonfire on Baskin and Phelps with his takes once again.

Haberstroh didn’t mince words. He thinks a LeBron James-Cleveland Cavaliers reunion isn’t just a heartwarming storyline—it might actually make basketball sense. And you know what? He might be onto something. “There’s already been some kind of rumors and whispers about Darius Garland being potentially available in a trade… I think that Cleveland is looking at Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell and seeing that they’re owing them about $300M going forward into the next two seasons and thinking, ‘Can they really compete at a two-way level? With the best teams in the NBA?’ And I think the four-team trade that I proposed which involves Utah acquiring Darius Garland.

“I think it makes sense from the standpoint that Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are not elite two-way players and to win a championship, you need as many of those guys as you can. And LeBron is one of those guys. As we’ve clearly seen over the years. He takes it up a notch in the postseason and becomes an all-world defender. Even at age 40, I think he’s able to flip that switch. I think for the Cleveland Cavaliers, it’ll take a real gut-check.

“Really looking in the mirror to identify the weaknesses in this roster which I think Frey said, ‘There’s no bully on this Cleveland Cavaliers team. And in order to have a bully, they need some roster changes.’ And I think LeBron is that bully that they may be seeking with someone like Kevin Durant that you can go to and they just tilt the game in their favor in the postseason and I think they really lack that in this roster.”

The Cavs’ “Core Four” of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen? Let’s just say their playoff performances recently fell off harder than Ben Simmons’ free throw form. Sure, they were great on paper. But when the postseason came around, injuries hit, and when they didn’t, the Pacers hit harder.

Even though last season’s regular season Cavs looked like a 60-win juggernaut, their playoff flame fizzled out. According to Haberstroh, they’re lacking that one thing—a proven closer, a playoff bully, someone who shows up in the big moments when the refs swallow their whistles and everything slows down to 90s Knicks pace. Oh hey, LeBron James still exists! And the Lakers still haven’t announced his return to the roster.

Lakers in Limbo, Cavs with Cap Clarity?

On the other side of the country, the Lakers haven’t exactly been pulling championship strings. After letting DFS walk to Houston, ignoring every center not named DeAndre Ayton (who got waved anyway), and sitting out of key free-agency action, it almost looks like they’re preparing for something.

Maybe they know LeBron James isn’t coming back.

And the Cavs? They’ve got Garland on a long-term deal. But Garland and Mitchell—two undersized guards who both need the ball feels redundant. Haberstroh even floated a four-team trade that sends Garland to Utah and gives the Cavs a chance to reload. Because guess what? That second apron is not just a budget constraint—it’s a playoff ceiling.

There’s a certain pride in Cleveland about proving they can win without LeBron. Dan Gilbert probably has that idea engraved somewhere next to “Comic Sans Hall of Fame.” But even Gilbert has to realize this isn’t about egos anymore—it’s about raising another banner. And if the blueprint involves plugging LeBron James next to Mobley and Mitchell, that’s a cheat code you don’t ignore. (Ask Miami. Ask the 2020 Lakers.)

Let’s talk fit. LeBron at 40 is still an elite playoff operator. Need proof? Look at how the Lakers cratered any time he took a breather. His defense can still clamp when he wants to, and his playmaking? Still smoother than a Steve Nash outlet pass. You give LeBron an elite rim protector in Mobley, a scorer like Mitchell, and role players who don’t just watch him iso from the corner? That’s a team that can put the fear of Zaza in the hearts of even the best Eastern contenders.

Haberstroh gave it a 30% chance that LeBron James would become a Cavalier again. That’s not wishful thinking. That’s the kind of odds you place bets on when you see a guy post “proper attire” with Cavs jerseys on a sunny boat day.

LeBron James is flirting with Cleveland. And while nothing’s certain, his subtle story post and the Lakers’ off-season snoozefest may be signs that the door to Cleveland is, once again, cracked open. Also, let’s not forget Donovan’s message in January: “It’s always great to have childhood friends in the same locker room as you.”

Only time will tell if it’s just a friendly nod to old times… or the start of LeBron James 3.0: The Final Chapter.