Another day, another look at the timeline to see that LeBron James has yet to make a decision as to where he's going. While it is starting to get at least semi-annoying at this point, we do have some clarity about where James' head is at.
The James sweepstakes seems to be coming down to a two-horse race (although you can never rule out a darkhorse when it comes to matters like this). And after seeming to be the frontrunner for awhile, it looks like the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that drafted James all those years ago, have finally been passed up. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Golden State Warriors now have slightly higher odds (+150) of being the team that James place his first minutes of the 2026-27 regular season for than the Cavaliers (+170).
For whatever reason, the Warriors have come back from the dead to pose the largest threat to a Cavaliers-James swan song. Fortunately, the Cavaliers have a rookie who could bury them in the dirt once and for all.
Meleek Thomas could be an immediate boost to the Cavaliers
Normally, you can't expect rookies to make much of an immediate impact on your team. However, in recent years, we've been seeing more and more NBA-ready rookies, and the cool thing is that they aren't always the players who spent an eternity in college. Just look at how good Dylan Harper was in his first season in the NBA after only spending one season in college.
Anyway, the Cavaliers didn't have the second overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft (like the Spurs did in 2025), but they did end up having the 34th overall pick after a trade with the Sacramento Kings. And with that pick, the Cavaliers took Meleek Thomas out of Arkansas.
Like Harper, Thomas only spent one season in college. During the draft process, teams fell in love with his silky smooth jumper and wirey frame, but were concerned about his high-end upside because of his lack of strong burst, physical strength, and a tight handle. Ultimately, these concerns were enough to cause him to fall to early in the second round.
But like Bruce Thornton, Thomas has used the Vegas Summer League to set the basketball world ablaze. No player has averaged more points per game than Thomas (27.3 PPG), and he's managing to do so while averaging 50% from the floor, 43.8% from three, and 100% from the free throw line. Thomas is serving to dispel any notions that he's merely a good shooter, and showing that he may be able to act as a spark plug creator off the bench for the Cavaliers as soon as next year.
Cavs rookie Meleek Thomas through 3 games: 28.3 PPG/4.3 APG/4.0 RPG/2.3 SPG on 50% FG, 46% 3P, 100% FT
— Role Player Performances (@BenchHighlights) July 14, 2026
Who does he remind you of? 👀 pic.twitter.com/25LwNbt6PM
Having a third creator, especially one who can also hold up well on the defensive side of the ball, is key to provide relief to the Donovan Mitchell/James Harden backcourt — when one of the tandem is on the bench or on the mend during the regular season.
In some ways, Thomas is a cheaper (and slightly taller) version of Dennis Schröder, meaning that the Cavaliers could move off the veteran journeyman in order to upgrade their roster in other places (or at least save a pretty penny).
More importantly, Thomas could serve as the final selling point to get James to finish his career off in Cleveland. James is a sucker for a good narrative, and what better way to go out than by helping his beloved team compete for a title while developing their promising underdog guard?
Like most things with the summer league, we are probably overreacting. Still, you have to admit that Thomas has been dominant this last week, which could be enough to secure the return of the greatest player in franchise history.
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