LBJ Free Agent Destinations

[czvo]

Wade is about to retire. I can't see LeBron going back there without him.

I've been on the Philly train for a while, but I'm seriously starting to wonder if they would even want LeBron. He'd make them a lock for the finals, but they probably don't even need him, if we're being honest. He also isn't close to fitting their timeline, and they'd probably have to lose some key shooters.

I know LA is getting the hype again, but I just.... I don't know, I can't see him being a Laker. I just think there's too much history there, and it would overshadow him, as crazy as it sounds.

But if Houston isn't viable, Philly doesn't roll out the red carpet, and he can't get PG to join him in LA? He may be back in Cleveland for another year simply by default.

 

[godfather]

I think that's possible, if Houston is who he wants to play for. I'm not sure he'd be sold on Philly. I think there's a comfort level with Spoelstra that he may be interested in returning to Miami. LeBron also has limited options if he wants to pursue winning.

He tried to get Spo fired though, no?

I don't even get the impression he liked it there in Miami. I see no way he goes there, not to mention there's bad blood between him and Riley.

I don't think we can compare it with Gilbert, in saying if he had bad blood with Gilbert and came back here, maybe he would with Riley..

LeBron had an Ohio connection here, so he could at least let bygones be bygones. He has no connection to Miami, and they're not a title contender.

It'd make literally no sense to leave a place he loves, to go back there, and not even compete for titles.

I just don't see LeBron going anywhere just because of the coach anyways. He probably can get that coach fired, if he has an issue with that particular coach, before he decides on a team. If that's really an issue with him.

Depends on the team though. A team like the Lakers? Would probably bend over backwards to do just about anything to get him there. Maybe not teams like Philly or Houston; they're not as desperate to land a LeBron.

 

[Rich]

LeBron can't force his way to Houston. If he opts in, he can't "force" us to trade him there, and there's no threat of him opting out and just signing there.

People keep missing this about the Chris Paul thing. The deal there was Houston was a legit threat to just sign him if he opted out. They'd have to make a move or two, but it was more than feasible.

This isn't. So if LeBron comes to the Cavs and says "trade me to Houston or I'm opting out and going there anyway" we say "no you're not, not unless you wanna play for the vet minimum."

Now, if he says "trade me to Houston or I'm opting out and signing in LA or Philadelphia" THEN that's a different story. But I'm demanding Capela and if we don't get Capela, then there's really nothing else there to make it worth it. So at that point, you just call him on it and see if he's bluffing. Don't trade him to Houston and see if he'll actually sign somewhere else or if it was just an empty threat. It's worth a 2019 Houston 1st rounder to find out.

This is the same thing I keep saying about Paul George. If he goes to OKC and says "trade me to Cleveland or I'm opting out and going there anyway" OKC just says "not unless you wanna play for the vet minimum you won't."

Now, he then has to threaten that he'll opt out anyway and sign with, say, the Lakers and it's up to OKC to figure out if that's a bluff or not. But to make it worth it for them, we'd have to trade the BKN pick, just like Houston would have to trade us Capela.

 

[godfather]

I'd trade him there if Houston throws in late unprotected lottery picks. I'm talking three of them.

Similar to what the Nets did to Boston. Harden is already 28, going to be 29 in August. If we get them to throw in their 2022 and later on picks, unprotected, then I'd do it.

Harden would be 32 going on 33 by then, Paul gone, LB gone, you'd think that's when they'd start becoming bad again.

 

[Stark]

Miami is loaded with garbage contracts and their few actual good players are on the wrong side of 30. No way they can unload a lot of that garbage and get LBJ - he'd have to take a major pay cut.

Philly may not want to stunt the growth of their young guys with an aging LBJ. As soon as he lands there, it's the LeBron-show, and Simmons & Embiid will take a back seat whether they want to or not. Now he could easily still go there, but I don't think it's as likely as a lot of people.

Lakers aren't happening. Just can't see it. Even with LeBron, they're a few years off of doing anything. They can resign IT and like it.

Rockets would need a ton of roster maneuvering. I'd assume they'd want to sign Capela who will get huge offer sheets this summer I'd expect, so they'd have to do the LBJ stuff first and then match him. The team would pretty much be LeBron, Harden, CP3, Capela, and a bunch of min guys. Would teams want to take Ryan Anderson or anybody else? Not sure, and I'm not sure if LBJ wants to team up with a top-5 PG of all time and a top-5 SG of all time. Durant just took the heat off him a bit with all of the teaming up nonsense.



Unless the Pacers oblierate us in these last two games and knock us out, I think it's still super likely that LeBron signs a 1+1, gives the Cavaliers one more chance to fix things up after the Kyrie debacle with that draft pick we have, and has another year as "the good guy who didn't bail on Cleveland when the going got tough". He could easily go over his options again in the 2019 offseason at age 34. Teams would be lining up to offer him a 5 year max. He's LeBron James.