Basketball

LeBron-Miami Heat Reunion Watch: Illusions of James' return aren't delusions

By Tony Mejia Sports Illustrated

The moratorium on NBA signings and trades will be lifted following noon on the East coast, so league business will be in your face everywhere you look all week. While I'm confident it won't involve LeBron James signing with his next and potentially final team, there's plenty that could occur to ultimately influence his final decision.

It would be awesome if we could all be sure this was James' "final decision," because streaming services bidding for the rights to air his choice would be a hilarious sequel to the 2010 hour-long drama that saw Miami chosen as the lucky suitor.

If he only signs a one-year deal and plays as well as he has for the Lakers these past few seasons, there's a decent chance we could be doing this again in 2027, so let's stick to the task at hand and break down the latest. If you missed the July 4 debut of this feature, catch up here.

1. Return to Miami a real possibility despite major competition

Be sure you're locked into our coverage here on Miami Heat on SI and set alerts for Ethan Skolnick's reporting here and at Five Reasons Sports Network, because he's hearing things and not selfishly keeping them to himself. After landing Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Heat turned their attention to making the most of his championship window. Given their financial constraints, being able to sign a difference maker who has prioritized playing a prominent role on a championship contender over earning one last big paycheck makes a marriage to LeBron an ideal outcome for Miami if it can get him to the altar. According to Skolnick, there's a chance he'll be back looking to make it 5-for-5 on Finals appearances while wearing a Heat uniform.

2. Former Heat hero Rio shooting from his gut from Turkiye

Mario Chalmers and LeBron had an amusing relationship as teammates, captured nicely by the photo above. James seems to be saying something along the lines of "you're lucky you made that," which happened often over a decade ago. Chalmers told DJ Siddiqi that he thought Golden State would emerge as Bron's destination, but that Miami should be in the running given how he thinks. LeBron may be giving him that look regarding this take, but many are saying a return to South Florida is being strongly considered.

3. Monitor those Watson talks - LeBron definitely will be

Peyton Watson is rightfully looking for a big payday, but what ends up happening with the Nuggets' top perimeter defender directly impacts LeBron's potential role and what Denver can spend to sign him. The Athletic's Sam Amick had some strong reporting on how Watson talks are progressing. Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul has already divulged that James has a strong relationship with the Kroenke family, having formed a friendship with 46-year-old Josh Kroenke, son of Stan Kroenke and Ann Walton Kroenke, decades ago. The Kroenke family has owned the Nuggets since 2000 and would love to pair LeBron with Nikola Jokic for a season or two after failing to reach the Western Conference finals in three straight seasons since winning the championship in 2023.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as LeBron-Miami Heat Reunion Watch: Illusions of James' return aren't delusions.

Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 7:00 AM.

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