Bill Simmons says the race for LeBron James has turned sharply toward Cleveland, not Golden State. On his podcast with Joe House, Simmons said the Cleveland thing is done and that Golden State was being used as leverage as James moves back to Cleveland.
That is why the Bill Simmons LeBron James Cavs chatter is moving fast today. Simmons had previously said he would bet his life on James heading to the Warriors, so the reversal is drawing attention because it cuts against his own earlier read and lands while the free-agency rumor cycle is still shifting.
Simmons put the point plainly, saying, “The other thing that happened to poor Golden State is that I think they thought they were getting LeBron and potentially AD, and now it’s pretty clear they were being used as leverage as LeBron goes back to Cleveland. The Cleveland thing is done.” His view matches the direction of the latest talk around James, with rumors and reports of a third stint with the Cavaliers continuing to surge.
There is also outside support for the idea that Golden State is no longer in firm control of the chase. On Thursday, 's Anthony Slater reported that Golden State acknowledged the Cavaliers as a suitor that would be difficult to beat. That leaves Golden State in a waiting game, with the team still holding out some hope until James confirms a return to the Cavaliers or signs elsewhere.
The larger backdrop is simple: Simmons once treated the Warriors as the destination, and now he is saying the Cleveland move is done. That shift matters because it changes the public read on where the 4x MVP is headed, even if the final call has not yet been announced. For now, Cleveland looks like the overwhelming favorite, but the last word belongs to James himself.
