The Cavaliers have a trump card in their bid to bring basketball superstar LeBron James home to Cleveland for the twilight of his NBA career… and his name is Travis Kelce.
Rumors are continuing to swirl over where LeBron will go next, after he announced his desire to leave the Lakers but continue for a 24th season in the league.
Denver, Golden State and Miami have all been mooted, but there is one team fighting hard to get Akron’s finest onto its roster, and that is Cleveland.
Indeed, the front office is using its star power to try and convince LeBron they’re the right fit for him, recruiting newlywed Kelce to reach out to the player.
A source close to the team tells the Daily Mail: ‘Now that LeBron is still looking to see where he will play next, Cleveland is up there as a major landing spot for him to return.
‘As the Cavaliers try to convince him to return, the franchise is asking famous Cleveland fans to reach out to LeBron to make his decision that much easier.
The future of LeBron’s career is a hot-button topic in the NBA as fans wait to hear what’s next
The Cleveland Cavaliers are among the teams rumored to be a potential landing spot for James
‘Cleveland brass has reached out to both Travis and Jason to do some finessing and courting of LeBron to come back home and finish his career with the Cavs. [They’re] also asking the brothers to be a part of a video package to send his way to pull on his heartstrings.
‘LeBron’s agent has mentioned the next spot he plays is all for LeBron’s happiness, and the Cavs feel what better way to be happy than to return home, and they are looking to use the Kelces and other Cleveland fans to get them over the hump.
‘And it appears that Travis and Jason are fully on board to get LeBron back to bring another championship to Cleveland.’
Travis married Taylor Swift at Madison Square Garden last Friday, and the couple is expected to make their first public appearance as man and wife at the wedding of Kelce’s former Chiefs teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster in California this weekend.
That, though, would appear to give him some time – while enjoying his new marital bliss – to give LeBron a call.
Both Jason (left) and Travis Kelce are from Ohio and are big fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs have asked the Kelces (above is Travis with his now-wife Taylor Swift) to make a call
Kelce and James pictured together at the 2023 ESPY Awards in 2023
Meanwhile, with speculation flying about LeBron’s future destination in free agency, there are some teams who have been linked with the star who seem a little too good to be true.
Last week, James informed the Lakers that he would be testing the waters of free agency and would depart the franchise he has played with since 2018.
The NBA legend’s agent and business partner – Rich Paul – revealed the teams most likely to be a good fit for James. Among the top spots included the Philadelphia 76ers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, Denver and Cleveland.
But Paul also said that if the New York Knicks had not recently won an NBA title, James would be heading to the Big Apple. While Paul says the Knicks have ‘checked in’ to gauge his interest, James wouldn’t make the move to Madison Square Garden and disrupt an already well-built franchise.
Paul’s announcement came as a shock to the entire NBA. Among the most surprised, it seems, are the Knicks themselves.
A source tells the Daily Mail that the Knicks have no interest in bringing the star to MSG
James previously had multiple chances in his career to join the Knicks, but turned them down
‘Rich Paul, LeBron’s agent, has plenty of influence and can certainly say what he wants, but his recent comments suggesting LeBron would have gone to the Knicks if they hadn’t won the championship came as news to New York – because the Knicks simply aren’t interested,’ a source exclusively told the Daily Mail.
The source added: ‘Years ago, when the Knicks made a legitimate push before LeBron ultimately signed with the Lakers, the interest was very real. But a lot has changed since then.’
Among the many things that has changed, the Knicks ended their 53-year drought and won an NBA title for the first time since 1973.
They did that through multiple careful acquisitions and free agent signings to eventually create a title-winning franchise without taking big swings at the top names on the market.
As our source explains: ‘The franchise has moved forward, built a contender, and become one of the NBA’s biggest success stories winning the championship. From their perspective, they’re no longer looking backward.’
It appears the Knicks are more than content with the team they currently have and are set up to pursue other free agent options that address more pressing needs.
‘The Knicks also have no interest in being used as leverage or a talking point in LeBron’s future free agency decisions,’ our source adds.
‘As far as they’re concerned, that opportunity has long passed.’
The Knicks built a championship team by signing key pieces, rather than big names
Kelce would undoubtedly love to see LeBron back in Cleveland for a third spell
James has been linked with the Knicks on multiple occasions in the past.
This includes his infamous ‘Decision’ in 2010 when he spurned the chance to join the Knicks in favor of going to the Miami Heat alongside fellow free agents Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
He won multiple NBA titles with the Heat before eventually returning to the Cavaliers and capturing his third championship with them.
James had another chance to move to the Knicks in 2018, when he opted out of his contract with the Cavaliers and became an unrestricted free agent.
But instead, he chose the Lakers and played with them in eight seasons – winning the 2020 NBA title in the process.
Now, James is on the open market once again. The opportunity is technically there to call Madison Square Garden home, but as our source explains, the previous rejections will lead to them passing on his services.
‘The ship has sailed, and the Dolan family and the organization would rather LeBron and Rich borrow a line from Will Smith and “keep their name out of his mouth”,’ the source claims.
