How the Cavaliers emerged as Jaylen Brown suitors to lure LeBron James

During their NBA free agency special on Tuesday, ESPN's Brian Windhorst suggested the Cleveland Cavaliers may pursue Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown.

>Windhorst stated that "the league changed" when LeBron James decided to leave the Los Angeles Lakers and become a free agent. After the Celtics were willing to include Brown in a potential deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP may no longer want to play for Boston following such rumors.

>While this was not directly a report by Windhorst, the NBA insider is very plugged in with Cleveland and may have made an educated guess or hint about what the Cavaliers are currently thinking:

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"Can the Cavs make a move for Jaylen Brown then come to LeBron and say, 'How do you feel about us now?'"@WindhorstESPN explains how the Cavaliers can try to lure LeBron in free agency 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZwOqXFGFu2

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 1, 2026According to Windhorst, after James Harden opted out of his contract, the 2018 NBA MVP is willing to do whatever he can to help improve the roster in Cleveland. Perhaps the longtime Boston standout fills that gap.

>If the Cavaliers could get Brown, per Windhorst, that would grab the "attention" of the four-time NBA Finals MVP now that he will not return to Los Angeles.

>This article originally appeared on For The Win: How the Cavaliers emerged as Jaylen Brown suitors to lure LeBron James