New LeBron Rumors Reveal Teams 'in the Dark' as Cavs Eyed as Top Landing Spot After Lakers Exit

LeBron James is taking great pains to not tip his hand regarding where he plans to sign this offseason.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported in the newest episode of his Hoop Collective podcast that "teams hadn't heard anything" from James' camp. The NBA insider related this saga to how the 22-time All-Star operated when he previously changed teams:

"And they're like, 'Well, we don't know what to make of this.' And like, this is what happened with the previous LeBron free agencies when he switched teams. They didn't know. Like, LeBron called in and was basically like, 'Yup, I'm coming.' And they're like, 'Oh, OK.' Maybe they felt good, like they said, 'Oh, the vibe is good.' But the Heat didn't know he was coming. The Cavs didn't know he was coming back.

"You want to know how I know they didn't know? Because they were about 10 minutes away from offering Gordon Hayward a max contract offer sheet. He was in the building in Cleveland. And when Mark Termini, one of LeBron's agents, found out that Gordon Hayward was in, he called them up and he was like, 'What are you doing? Why are you spending your cap space?' And they were like, 'Oh!' And Gordon Hayward was like, 'What? I'm not getting an offer sheet today?' You think they would've hired David Blatt, no offense to David Blatt, if they knew they were getting LeBron? Magic Johnson showed up at LeBron's house at 6 p.m. or 9 p.m. whenever he was allowed to, to like pitch him. He didn't know they were getting him.

"So, like, last I heard, the teams are kind of in the dark, all kind of waiting. And they weren't hearing anything and so they just were like, 'Well, maybe it's Cleveland.' But I don't know if anything is hearing anything."

The Stein Line's Marc Stein reported at the 4:40 mark of the ALL NBA Podcast that "there is a great deal of curiosity" about whether teams will get to pitch James directly or work through his agent, Rich Paul.

The only sure thing at this point is that James isn't going to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. Beyond that, Paul has cast a wide net for his client, telling ESPN's Dave McMenamin all but three teams have reached out about LeBron.

The actual list of suitors is bound to be smaller than that. On his Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman, Paul drew up a whiteboard that referenced 10 different landing spots:

Stein and Jake Fischer reported over the holiday weekend that a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers "is looking more and more like the scenario to beat."

There's even some who think the Cavs have been slow-playing the offseason in order to have space on the roster for not just LeBron but son Bronny James as well.

Stein said later in his podcast the Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves all believe they remain in the mix.

Past pursuits of James were complicated by the fact he'd be commanding a max contract. General managers had to plan at least a year out in order to have the available cap space.

Now, the four-time MVP will inevitably sign for far less than the $52.6 million he earned in 2025-26. That theoretically widens the field.

Based on how James is keeping everyone at a distance, there could be little in the way of updates in the coming days. That's not going to slow the speculation about his next destination, though.