LeBron James Should Not Go Back to Cavaliers, Says Former Teammate: “They Got Soul Issues”

Channing Frye explained why LeBron James shouldn’t return to the Cavaliers.

LeBron James Should Not Go Back to Cavaliers, Says Former Teammate: “They Got Soul Issues”

Channing Frye on LeBron James (Image credits - Firstsportz)

LeBron James‘ future is up in the air once again. Coming off a historic 23rd season in the NBA, James has shown the NBA world that he can still play at a very high level when required to do so.

The four-time champion was asked to lead the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs this year after Luka Doncic was sidelined due to injury. James did a fine job as the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets in the first round before getting clean-swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round.

With James’ contract with the Lakers coming to an end, he is an unrestricted free agent. Hence, questions and rumors about his future are everywhere.

Channing Frye, who played with James in Cleveland, is adamant that James reconsider a return to the Cavs this year.

52 year old LeBron ain’t gonna solve Cleveland’s issues. They got soul issues. They got I don’t like you issues and I don’t want to be here with you issues. If this team was like ‘Hey we just need this position’, I’d be like ‘Go to Cleveland.’

Channing Frye on Road Trippin Show

LeBron James is currently 41 years old and is coming off an impressive 2025-26 campaign. While his future remains undecided, he has been linked to various clubs over the last few weeks. It has also been reported that the Lakers have not offered James a new contract yet.

In the last few months, the Cavs have been open to reuniting with their former star player. It remains to be seen what James decides to do in the next few weeks, as he will continue to be one of the biggest talking points this summer.

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Cleveland Cavaliers have too many internal issues

Channing Frye does not want to see LeBron James in their former team due to internal issues in the club. His statements may be surprising to some, as the Cavs are coming off their best finish in a season since James departed the club in 2018.

After finishing in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, the Cavs looked equipped to come out of the East this year. They made a big move at the trade deadline when they traded for James Harden. It was a move that showed the Cavs are going all in this year.

James Harden and Donovan Mitchell
James Harden and Donovan Mitchell (Image via ESPN Cleveland/X)

While they did make it to the Conference Finals, they were clean-swept by the New York Knicks. Not only did they not win a game, but they were also beaten by an average of 24 points in the four-game sweep. Hence, the Cavs have some big decisions to make in the offseason.

Frye believes that James, at his current age, will not be able to fix the Cavs’ problems. No player has been able to carry and lead a team like James, but as currently constructed, the Cavs have too many holes to fill.

The Cavs may have to trade Jarrett Allen for LeBron James

On paper, the Cavs have a really good squad that should be able to contend for a championship. They have an elite scorer in Donovan Mitchell, a former MVP in Harden, a former Defensive Player of the Year in Evan Mobley, and a talented big man in Jarrett Allen. Unfortunately, they were heavily exposed against the Knicks this year.

The clean sweep in the ECF showed that the Cavs still have work to do on their roster in the offseason. NBA insider Brian Windhorst believes that the Cavs can acquire LeBron James only if they are willing to trade away Allen.

Right now the Cavs can only offer LeBron James $4M. He may get to a spot where he is willing to take that kind of money. He is still a max level player. This is still one of the top 20 players in the NBA. The only real way I can see the Cavs being able to get LeBron James would be trading Jarrett Allen.

Brian Windhorst on Pat McAfee show

The Cavs front office has a lot of thinking to do after the season they just had. Trading away Allen is letting go of a big part of their defense. While James can still be one of the best players in the league, he is not the defender he once was. There are a lot of questions left to be answered in the offseason.

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