LeBron James has nothing left to prove and even less reason to chase another massive paycheck. For him, only one thing matters: winning one more championship. His decision to leave the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency has suddenly put the entire league on alert. Among the teams in the mix, the Cleveland Cavaliers stand out, with Brian Windhorst revealing they could have added him for just $4 million. A return home sounds perfect, but it might not be the ending that makes the most sense.

On the Game Over podcast, Rich Paul shed light on the concerns, or rather the negative factors that are casting a shadow on Bron’s homecoming. “The negative is, and this is no offense to (James) Harden, no (Darius) Garland, because he loves Garland like he loves (Tyrese) Maxey,” Rich Paul pointed out.

Earlier in February, the Cavaliers traded Garland to the LA Clippers in exchange for James Harden. Sure, they wanted to elevate their chances of winning the championship. Undoubtedly, the Beard was fitting into Cleveland’s win-now philosophy until everything fell apart during the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks.

Every analyst blamed James Harden for the Cavs 0-4 clean-sweep loss. That’s because their defense crumbled as the 36-year-old tried guarding Jalen Brunson. But that’s not all. Harden’s 16.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 4 games proved painful for the team. On the other hand, Darius Garland averaged 18.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in 5 games during the 2025 playoffs.

Simply put, James Harden couldn’t fill the gap that Garland left behind. Thus, giving LeBron James a reason to hold himself back from joining the Cavaliers, if at all. However, the franchise’s assistant GM, Brandon Weems, Koby Altman, and the Gilbers could be the point of difference for LeBron.

“Dan and Grant, which is the Gilberts plus Koby. He was there when LeBron won. They’re a big, big, big x factor. Let me talk to you about Brandon Weems. Brandon Weems is basically LeBron’s brother,” Rich Paul added. But the question still circles back to point zero: Will James return to Cleveland?

LeBron James’ decision depends on Savannah and Zhuri

Rich Paul’s co-host, Max Kellerman, feels that the 41-year-old will come back to the Cavs for his last season in the league. “There’s a lot of reports. Cleveland or the Warriors, right? My sense right now is, if this is going to be his last year, he’s going home. That’s my sense,” he said. But then again, nobody knows what the King is planning.

Sure, he has a documentary crew going around with him for the last four years. However, that doesn’t point towards a final dance anytime soon. “Once he got the green light from Savannah and Zhuri, because they’re the only ones left in the house, once he got the green light, ‘Go anywhere. You can do whatever you want to do’,” Rich Paul clarified.

James’ agent had previously mentioned that LeBron’s next move, retirement or next destination, will depend on what his family wants. For now, he has only his wife and daughter to make the call. Meanwhile, many reads are leading the King back to Ohio, while other teams are waiting in anticipation. Where will he go next?