LeBron James went back to Akron this week and had dinner with some old friends. The timing is interesting because he’s a free agent and the Cavaliers are one of the teams people keep talking about.
The group included Brandon Weems, who is basically LeBron’s brother according to his agent Rich Paul. Weems also happens to be an assistant general manager for Cleveland. That’s not a coincidence that goes unnoticed.
LeBron is a free agent after telling the Lakers he was moving on. Multiple teams are interested but the Cavs have that emotional pull. He won the city its first title in 52 years back in 2016. Akron is home. That stuff matters.
Rich Paul made the case for Cleveland
Paul went on the Game Over podcast and laid it out pretty clearly. He said Weems is the biggest reason the Cavs have a real shot. Not just because they’re friends but because Weems earned his way up the basketball ladder on his own. He started as a graduate assistant at Kentucky and worked through Oakland and La Salle before landing in Cleveland’s front office. Paul made sure to note that nobody handed him the job.
“Brandon Weems is basically LeBron’s brother,” Paul said. “That is a big feather in the cap.”
But it’s not all simple. Cleveland traded Darius Garland to the Clippers in February to get James Harden. Paul admitted that’s a sticking point because LeBron really likes Garland. Like, Tyrese Maxey level of fondness.
“The negative is, and this is no offense to Harden, there’s no Darius Garland,” Paul said.
The roster is still loaded
Even without Garland, the Cavaliers have Donovan Mitchell, Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. That’s a real contender. Whether it’s enough to bring LeBron back for a third stint is the question nobody can answer yet. But the fact that he’s hanging out with Weems in Akron right now means the door is at least cracked open.
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