Oh, The Places LeBron Could Go
With NBA free agency looming around the corner, all eyes have been on LeBron James. Free agency officially begins on July 1st, and the King has a lot of thinking to do. He will have to make the decision on whether he will remain in Cleveland and continue playing for his home state, or opt out of his contract and head to a larger market to better contend for an NBA title with more weapons at his disposal. Here are the destinations LeBron is most likely to land.
Cleveland
In case you haven't heard, LeBron James is from Akron, Ohio, which is approximately an hour drive south of Cleveland. Although James has left Cleveland before to enjoy the sun and his first two championships in South Beach, he came back and brought the city its first championship in more than 52 years (the last being the Cleveland Browns in 1964). According to people in LeBron's camp as reported by ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, James loves home and feels most comfortable in Cleveland. Depending on how this postseason plays out, LeBron might decide that his best shot at another title is staying put, and working to surround himself with the best players possible.
The Bay
An all-MVP lineup of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry would be a sight the NBA has never seen. Steve Kerr would basically be a chaperone for the Warriors on a trip to their fifth straight NBA Finals. However, would LeBron James be willing to make a move that would antagonize him as the biggest NBA villain yet again? A move to the Bay Area might be perceived worse than when KD joined the Splash Brothers two summers ago in 2016. Also, adding James to the championship squad would involve breaking up the Warriors' starting core in some form. The relatively "easiest" way would be to have LeBron opt in, then send Cleveland a player package centered around Klay Thompson or Draymond Green. In addition, Golden State would have to key reserve Andre Iguodala in exchange for King James.
Houston
A move down south could unite LeBron with one of his closest friends, Chris Paul. CP3 along with the 2017-18 MVP front-runner James Harden, would form a trio with LeBron as formidable and experienced as any in the league. But a move to Houston would force LeBron to confront the Warriors earlier in the NBA Playoffs. As new teammates, CP3 and Harden would give him more firepower against the defending champions than he's had in any of their previous NBA Finals match ups. Plus, there would be a financial bonus because there is no state income tax in Texas, which means LeBron's max salary would be valued a little higher there. Not a bad deal. Speaking of deals, if LeBron made it clear to Cav's owner Dan Gilbert that he intended to leave Cleveland, he could opt in to the final year of his contract, which would allow the Cavs to trade him to Houston most likely for a package built around Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon and future draft picks. This would allow the Rockets to bring James on board without sacrificing the core they have built to free up the cap space to sign him outright.
Los Angeles
There have always been rumors of LeBron heading to LA to play for the Lakers ever since he entered the league out of high school in 2003. LeBron enjoys the LA lifestyle. James has a home in Los Angeles, an up-and-coming Hollywood production company, and his eldest son recently enrolled in Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth. Not to mention, LeBron has even praised the talent of Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball (even though James isn't a big fan of Lonzo's father, LaVar). Additionally, the Lakers are the only team on this list that could promise James a max deal and assurance that he wouldn't be the only superstar coming on board this summer (Paul George?), which means more firepower to take down the Warriors. Personally, this is my favorite destination for LeBron. He would have a lot of pressure to live up to the likes of Laker greats such as Kobe, Shaq, and Magic, but LeBron was made for the pressure. As an established superstar, who wouldn't want to live the LA lifestyle and play a major role in one of sport's most storied franchises? Sounds like a perfect throne for a King.
James and LA Clippers front office consultant Jerry We have developed a relationship over the years built on the foundation of their experiences as NBA all-time greats. James even has a personal nickname for West, "The Godfather." So if LeBron is considering making LA his next professional home, then the Clippers could potentially make a case as a better alternative to the Lakers. The LA Clippers have made the playoffs each of the past six seasons but failed to make the top 8 in the west this year because of midseason trade drama with Blake Griffin and a dysfunctional backcourt. However, Lob City locked up sharpshooter Lou Williams to a reasonable contract extension, but Sweet Lou will probably have to give up his favored #23 if LeBron decided to be a Clipper.
Miami
In the summer of 2010, James made the decision to take his talents to South Beach, where he won two MVP awards and two NBA titles. Could it be possible that LeBron returns to Miami for a reunion? Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade have made amends over their nasty breakup, so there's a chance James and Riley could do the same. Besides, by staying in the east, LeBron would at least manage to avoid the Warriors until the Finals. To make this work, however, the Heat will have to get creative to add James since they are closer to the luxury tax and not under the salary cap this summer.
Philly
In late February, billboard ads started to appear in South Philadelphia in what appeared to be early campaign efforts in getting LeBron James to sign with the Sixers this summer. When LeBron returned to Cleveland from Miami, he traded in a pair of aging stars in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh for younger promising teammates in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. A move to Philly this summer would be a similar situation in that he'd be teaming up with the Sixers' young stars, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. LeBron and Ben Simmons already share an agent- could this help them ball together and ultimately 'complete the process'? Perhaps. Philadelphia entered the summer with close to a max salary cap slot. With the recent resignation of GM Bryan Colangelo,the Sixers will have to get a new GM and make some moves to get to James' full max salary.
San Antonio
King James' admiration and respect for Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is apparent and not much of a secret. I think LeBron would likely consider the opportunity to play for Pop in the AT&T Center and potentially dethrone the defending Western Conference champs, the Golden State Warriors. I think this destination makes sense and it would be interesting to see how the player-coach dynamic between arguably the greatest basketball player of all time and debatably the greatest coach of all time unfolds. If Kawhi Leonard returns to San Antonio next season healthy and ready to go, the Spurs will be a serious threat in the west from the jump. It should be noted that if LeBron James has aspirations of playing with his son, LeBron James Jr. someday, it would be worth taking into account that the Spurs organization has gotten more years out of its star players than any other club in NBA history.
