Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving reportedly made a recruiting pitch to free agent LeBron James.  James's agent, Rich Paul, reportedly also is pushing James to sign with the Cavaliers and return to Cleveland.

Irving, the new face of the Cavaliers franchise, appears onboard with James returning to Cleveland.  With a talented roster that includes Irving and rookie Andrew Wiggins, Irving reportedly assured James a second stint with the Cavaliers would be far different from James's first.

"Kyrie Irving has made recruiting pitch to LeBron James, sources say," Fox Sports' Sam Amico tweeted on Monday.  "ESPN reports Kyrie as saying the Cavs will get LeBron all the help he needs."

James has never ruled out returning to Cleveland, and with the Cavaliers having a more talented roster than Miami, James would have a better chance of winning his third ring.  Even James's agent, who reportedly met with the Cavaliers last week, wants a homecoming for his client.

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:

"At the urging of LeBron (James's) agent, the Cleveland Cavaliers are pursuing a maximum contract salary slot to bring back the free-agent superstar, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

"Rich Paul, the president of Klutch Sports, has been funneling belief into the organization that the Cavaliers are in a strong position to lure James from the Miami heat, sources told Yahoo Sports.  For years, Paul has confided to people that bringing back James to Cleveland has been something of a mission for him, and he's encouraging Cavaliers officials to offer no restraint in the recruit of James, sources said."

James, though, purportedly is giving Heat president Pat Riley time to improve Miami's roster before beginning to meet face-to-face with other teams.  James and Riley are expected to meet sometime this week, where James could inform him of his plans to begin exploring free agency in earnest.

The Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks are among the teams expected to make a strong push for James.