Time for some smoking-hot free agency tea with a side of cupcakes. And Cleveland happens to have a very interesting history with that. The most unlikely and historic source about LeBron James’ free agency has spoken. Caroline’s Cupcakes, the Canton-based bakery that famously scooped the entire national sports media by announcing LeBron James’ return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014, sparked delicious chaos and raspberry cupcake cravings across social media this week.

A viral post published by the local account ‘Pokefeshohio’ featured the recognizable contact card of Caroline’s Cupcakes, claiming that LeBron James’ second homecoming was brewing in Ohio. While it complements Bron’s recent visit to Akron and meeting with childhood friend-turned-Cavs exec Brandon Weems, there’s more to the Cupcake Lady’s scoop.

“Hey, guys. I’ve got it on good authority that not only is LeBron coming back to Cleveland, but he’s bringing Bronny *and* Draymond with him! If you don’t believe me, you can Google ‘Caroline’s Cupcakes + LeBron’ to check my credentials. This isn’t my first rodeo 😉 IYKYK,” the original post read.

Indeed, Cleveland’s legendary Cupcake Lady claims that the Cavs could not only acquire Bronny James, who just got a guaranteed contract with the Lakers, but they’re also getting Draymond Green. Not surprisingly, it’s timed with recent reports of Green personally courting his fellow Klutch Sports client.

The rumors picked up steam so quickly that Kalshi saw a 19% spike in odds for Green to the Cavs. Green declined his $27.7 million player option with the Warriors and is an unrestricted free agent. Mathematically, it doesn’t add up because Cavs fans won’t accept Evan Mobley or Jaylon Tyson getting traded for Green. But so far, all signs point to Dray staying with the Warriors.

However, LeBron James is heavily favored to return to Ohio. After a nostalgia and luxury-filled reunion with the 2016 championship squad, the second homecoming is the most popular narrative. The last time the Lakers played in Cleveland, the Cavs’ homage to James reduced him to tears. But Cleveland even showed love to Bronny with chants of ‘We want Bronny.’ 

While Bronny recently secured a contract with the Lakers, any late-career LeBron transition could involve a trade package to keep the father-son duo intact. Beyond the popular belief that Bronny would go where his dad does, there’s no trade news for the 21-year-old.

For now, Shams Charania confirmed that Bron is taking his sweet time deciding his next destination. It would be really interesting if he does return with his son.

There’s only one glitch.

The truth behind LeBron James’ cupcake scoop

Cavs fans are inclined to believe Caroline’s Cupcakes over Shams Charania’s. Days before LeBron James shook the sports landscape by publishing his famous “I’m Coming Home” essay in Sports Illustrated, Caroline’s Cupcakes went viral on Facebook by declaring the megastar’s return to Cleveland a “done deal.” He even promised a big cake for customers if he were wrong.

Allegedly, the owner of Caroline’s Cupcakes, Jonathan Gotschall, had a friend of a friend personally acquainted with LeBron James himself. So everyone believed it once more when the Cupcake Lady once again said he’s coming back and bringing Draymond and Bronny with him.

After seeing that they caused chaos 2.0, the Cupcake Lady quickly edited the post to add a clarification.

“EDIT: This is an old story from years ago that popped into my memories today. I’m just sharing a fun local memory by joking about what’s on the rumor mill…not reporting new news. If I hear anything concrete again, I’ll be sure to let you know!”

So ‘Cupcake Lady’ Gotschall was joking. Besides, he closed down Caroline’s Cupcakes a while back. He’s instead running a new Hawaiian restaurant, Poke Fresh, in Northeast Ohio. He posted this ‘joke’ on the official restaurant page as a throwback to the 2014 mania.

Just like 2014, the hype resonates in 2026 too as long as James’ true destination remains the NBA’s biggest unresolved mystery. This real-world smoke was further fueled by James’ recent visit to Akron. With national insiders confirming Cleveland as a legitimate frontrunner, local fans were highly primed to believe a legacy homecoming was actively being negotiated behind the scenes.

But not so fast. Miami, where he won his first two chips, also remains a frontrunner. And his agent, Rich Paul, confirmed that a team-up with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo is as enticing as a reunion with Erik Spoelstra.

Besides, the financial scenario to bring Bronny and Draymond along with LeBron to Ohio is not making sense. The Cavaliers are entirely cap-strapped, meaning absorbing Green’s salary would require parting with core assets.

While this was a joke that was taken too seriously, if James makes it come true, Gotschall could surpass Brian Windhorst as the ultimate Bron insider.