Sources: Cavaliers would 'gladly welcome' LeBron James back

No one knows what is in store for LeBron James after this season, including possibly James himself. He's in the final season of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, and while he could leave the Lakers this summer, he could very well remain with them for at least one more season.

Another option that has been discussed for a while is a possible return to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a third stint with them. He played his first seven seasons with them, and after heading to the Miami Heat for the following four seasons, he went back to Cleveland for four more before joining the Lakers in 2018. James, of course, is originally from Akron, Ohio, which is roughly 40 miles away from Cleveland.

In a lengthy article for ESPN.com, Dave McMenamin noted that the Cavaliers would love to have James come back yet again.

"Multiple team and league sources told ESPN the Cavaliers would gladly welcome James back this summer if he wanted to return to Cleveland for his 24th NBA season and third stint with the team," McMenamin wrote.

The Cavs were picked by many people to reach the NBA Finals when this season started. But they entered Wednesday's game against L.A. with a 28-20 record, which put them in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. While guard Donovan Mitchell remains, at worst, a borderline superstar and is having his best season ever, there seem to be questions about whether fellow starting guard Darius Garland and big man Evan Mobley are enough for them to be able to play for a world championship.

Perhaps the return of James, who continues to play at a superstar level at age 41, would get the job done while allowing him to ride off into the sunset with his fifth championship ring.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Sources: Cavaliers would 'gladly welcome' LeBron James back