Now that Giannis Antetokounmpo is a member of the Miami Heat, the other domino that has to fall in the NBA offseason is the future of Los Angeles Lakers’ star LeBron James.
The Lakers are building around Luka Dončić, which has made James’s future even cloudier. The Lakers have already agreed to a deal to keep Austin Reaves and are looking to add shooting and size in the offseason.
Shannon Sharpe Calls LeBron James ‘Forgiving,’ Believes He Could Return to Heat
With James’ Lakers’ future in doubt, there has been speculation that he could return to one of his former Eastern Conference teams.
Despite being swept by the Knicks, the Cavaliers made it to the Eastern Conference behind a solid core of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and their trade deadline acquisition, James Harden. Adding James could put Cleveland back over the top – though it may cost them someone like Allen.
A third stint in Cleveland and retiring in your home state is obviously a draw, but a potential return to another former team is picking up steam. With Antetokounmpo in Miami, there has been talk of James joining Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo to form their new version of the big three in Miami.
Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco discussed the situation on their Nightcap podcast. In fact, Jackson believes another aging star could join the trio as well.
Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson discuss LeBron coming to Miami:
Chad: He’s not going back to LA. I can tell you that… You heard it here first… LeBron, Klay, Giannis, Bam!
Shannon: I will say this about LeBron, he is one of the most forgiving people that I know… If he can… pic.twitter.com/hMolqZe9ry
— Heat Central (@TheHeatCentral) June 27, 2026
“He’s not going back to LA,” Ochocinco said. “I can tell you that… You heard it here first… LeBron, Klay, Giannis, Bam!”
Sharpe wasn’t as sure as the former Bengals’ wide receiver, but he does believe James could forgive Heat president Pat Riley for whatever transgressions he committed in the past, much like he did with Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert when he returned to Cleveland.
“I will say this about LeBron, he is one of the most forgiving people that I know,” Sharpe explained. “If he can forgive Dan Gilbert for the things he said, you can forgive Pat Riley for throwing the cookies in the trash. Pat said, ‘I’ll leave the key under the door mat if he wanna come back.’ Pat knows what that man represents.”
Despite turning 41 in December, James still averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 51.5% from the field. He raised that average to 23.2 points per game in the postseason, leading the Lakers to a six-game series victory over the Rockets in the first round before falling to the Thunder in the second round.
Of course, how the Heat could afford James is a different story, but he is once again the lead story in the NBA offseason, and, as usual, his decision could change the league’s landscape.
