Major Cavs front office intel would set the stage for a LeBron James return

The Cleveland Cavaliers have faded in the LeBron James sweepstakes, with a possible Los Angeles Lakers re-signing scenario re-emerging amid continued interest from the Golden State Warriors. Still, they may not be worth writing off just yet. Especially if rumors NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson relayed in a recent discussion we had come to fruition.

According to Robinson, the Cavs’ recent loss of Mike Gansey to the Philadelphia 76ers could result in the team hiring back David Griffin if Brandon Weems doesn’t receive what many would call a well-earned promotion to be the full-time GM.

“I’m being told that if they don’t bring in Brandon Weems to the general manager role, the Cavaliers have considered, in conversation, bringing David Griffin back in the general manager role,” Robinson told me.

Griffin was the Cavs’ GM in 2014 who helped reel James back to his home state in free agency from the Miami Heat. He pulled off the six-player trade that brought Kevin Love to Cleveland to form a Big Three with LeBron and Kyrie Irving shortly after, and eventually brought in championship pieces like J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Timofey Mozgov via trade.

How could the Cavs make the money work with LeBron James?

As Robinson explained, mathematically, James Harden would need to sign a team-friendly extension, while Dean Wade and Max Strus would have to be moved; the former having his bird rights renounced, and the latter being traded.

Robinson relayed that James could be an MLE option or a sign-and-trade. Right now, it’s being reported that the Lakers are not offering anywhere close to a max contract. That would mean the Dubs could be competition with the MLE.

Perhaps the Cavs are in that boat as well.