New LeBron James Rumors Reveal Donovan Mitchell, James Harden's Stance on Potential Cavs Return

The Cleveland Cavaliers are hoping to bring LeBron James back this offseason, but a big part of their pitch is ensuring their two stars, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, are on board.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on The Stephen A. Smith Show that Mitchell has made it clear that he would "embrace" James joining the Cavs. Charania added that Harden would "be all in as well."

Charania also noted that Giannis Antetokounmpo would welcome James to the Miami Heat.

When James informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he didn't plan to return for the 2026-27 campaign, the Cavs immediately jumped out as a potential landing spot given his past with the organization.

There are still a number of teams pursuing the all-time great, but ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Tuesday that the "vibes" are pointing to the Cavs.

"People in the league are thinking it's pointing toward Cleveland, but they are operating off vibes," Windhorst said. "If you ask me, 'Are the vibes pointing towards Cleveland?,' Yeah, the vibes are pointing towards Cleveland. But it's just vibes."

James' agent, Rich Paul, made a list of possible landing spots for James last week, and the Cavs were among the group. The others were the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.

Cleveland would make sense from both a personal standpoint and a basketball standpoint. James still has deep ties to Northeast Ohio, being from Akron, and would get the chance to play for his hometown team once again.

On the court, he could play off the ball since Mitchell and Harden could carry most of the offensive weight. The Cavs also made the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago and could be a contender once again if James heads to Cleveland.

It could be a while before James makes a decision, but it likely helps the Cavs' pitch having Mitchell and Harden on board.