LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves in a 2-0 series hole against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s not that Cleveland dropped the first two games on the road. Rather, it was the team’s inability to remain competitive that suggests Cleveland’s championship window is on the verge of closing.
The backdrop here is as clear as day. James is set to become a free agent this summer. He has not committed to re-signing with the Cavaliers. James himself will take multiple free agent visits in a drama-filled stretch that will be comparable to what we saw with Kevin Durant back in 2016.
It’s in this that James is in no way guaranteed of returning to the Cavaliers. From seeing a major increase in his overall brand to potentially joining another super team, here are 10 reasons why James will in fact leave Cleveland this coming summer.
Market appeal
James pretty much rebuilt the downtown Cleveland area on his own when when he returned to the Cavaliers back in 2014-15. The estimates are pretty staggering, as his mere presence provided an economic jolt that’s unprecedented in the history of North American professional sports. In no way does this mean that Cleveland has the same market appeal as say Los Angeles or Philadelphia. Heck, Houston’s market has grown considerably since refugees were forced to that city from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
As we saw with Kevin Durant’s decision to leave Oklahoma City for the Bay Area, market appeal does play a role in a stars’ decision-making process. For Durant, that has proven to be a financial windfall at a level one could scarcely imagine. As the ultimate star this generation’s NBA has to offer, James will certainly take into account market appeal when making his free agent decision.
A Golden State sized chip on his shoulder
It might be a bit too early to say that a fourth consecutive NBA Finals between Cleveland and Golden State is out of the question. But based on how thoroughly the Cavaliers were dominated in the first two games of their Eastern Conference Finals series against Boston, it seems highly unlikely this will come to fruition. James himself is seemingly obsessed with the Warriors. He talks about that franchise all the time. It’s an addiction of sorts. His vice.
Why not head over to the Western Conference in an attempt to take out the Warriors before the Finals even take place? When looking at the optics, it makes a ton of sense for James’ brand and his reputation around the NBA world. Instead of hiding out back east, he heads to west of the Mississippi in an attempt to dethrone a Warriors squad that’s proven to be too dominant for Western Conference foes.
Playing more off-ball
This has come up a lot recently. As we’ve seen in Cleveland, James is simply being relied on too much. He’s a ball-dominant forward, and the King’s usage is right up there among the top-five players in the NBA. The other four are much younger than James, the likes of Joel Embiid and Russell Westbrook included.
The idea of playing more of an off-ball role would give James an ability to preserve his energy for the playoffs. Short of Cleveland being able to add a true point guard to the mix, it seems highly unlikely this is going to be the case should James decide to remain with the Cavaliers.
Hollywood, baby
As we noted before, James is more of a brand than anything. His production company, Springhill Entertainment, has taken off a ton in recent years. In fact, he has a remake of the 1990 cult hit House Party set to be released here soon. James possesses a brilliant business mind. He knows that once his basketball career is over, the entertainment industry will be his calling card. What better way to continue molding this post-NBA career than to finish his playing days as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers?
This scribe’s uncle is a director in Hollywood. Just check out the credits on How to Get Away with Murder. He once told me about how Lakers players are treated by the Hollywood establishment. Dude could be a scrub and still get VIP treatment. It’s something to behold. Just imagine James and his brand joining Lonzo Ball, Magic Johnson and that whole elitist club in Southern California. There’s really no other comparison we could draw to this type of move. It would be a ridiculous boon for James.
Cavaliers may simply look to rebuild
This is the forgotten aspect to the whole LeBron James free agency drama. What if the Cavaliers themselves decide to end the relationship? It seems absurd on the surface. He’s done more for that organization than any one person in its history. That’s fine. But there always comes a time when two sides have to cut ties. A divorce of sorts. Can the Cavaliers continue doing the same thing while expecting a different result?
By deciding that the James era is over, the Cavaliers could move into the future with a potential building block in the form of the eighth overall pick (acquired from Boston, via Brooklyn in the Kyrie Irving trade). It’s one of the deepest draft classes in recent NBA history. Can Cleveland justify selling off that selection for a fledgling veteran in order to cater to James and his goal of short-term contention? We’re not entirely too sure.
Forming another super team
As we saw during February’s trade deadline, Cleveland doesn’t have the capability of forming a super team around King James. The contracts this team signed Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson to prevents that from becoming a reality. Short of James himself taking a near vet minimum deal and lopsided trades being worked out to the Cavaliers’ favor, the cycle will continue to repeat itself.
James will get flack if he decides to build another super team. Having done this twice in his career, there’s already some out there who think it tarnished his legacy. But as we have seen throughout his legendary career, LeBron cares not for what the public thinks. It’s in this that the idea of building a super team (more on that later) could force James from Cleveland.
It’s just not happening in Cleveland
This goes to our previous point. If the Cavaliers have no real ability to upgrade their roster this coming offseason, there’s no reason to believe the team will be a top-end title contender moving forward. We saw James and Co. change philosophy mid-season during February’s trade deadline. It included trading Dwyane Wade, Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder, three players that were expected to help LeBron earn a fourth consecutive conference title.
While another NBA Finals appearance is a remote possibility here, it’s pretty darn clear that the Cavaliers are overmatched against Boston back east. Even if the team finds a way to earn a trip to the championship round, who here believes it will be able to compete with either Houston or Golden State? The end is nearing for Cleveland’s relevance in the championship race. It’s just not officially offical quite yet.
Extend his career
This goes to the previous point about James playing more off-ball. Not only will it preserve the prime of his career, it’s something that might make him more efficient. In Cleveland, James is being asked to handle way too much of the responsibilities on both ends of the court. He’s a ball-dominant forward. He anchors on defense. He plays more minutes than any other star in the Association. He’ll be entering his age-34 season.
It’s also important to note that James has played 754 games over the past eight seasons. Folks, that’s an average of 94 games per season. James might be superhuman, but this will eventually take a toll on him. Why not go to a team with proven stars to help shoulder the load and extend one of the greatest careers in pro sports history?
Other options are simply more appealing
The Philadelphia 76ers have Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. It’s led to speculation that James might look to join the up-and-coming team. With Simmons being a ball-dominant guard, James would also be able to play off-ball for the Sixers. Moving out west, we’re pretty darn sure the Houston Rockets will look to team LeBron up with James Harden and Chris Paul. Speaking of ball-dominant, both can be defined as just that.
Other options here include the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. We mentioned before just how Hollywood would help James’ brand. But there’s on-court reasons for him signing with the Lakers. That includes a plethora of talented young players, including Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball. Los Angeles also has the ability to add two max-contract players, potentially teaming James up with Paul George. As it relates to the Spurs, it’s not a secret how much James respects Gregg Popovich. That will certainly play a role in his decision. Either way, there’s much more attractive options out there than Cleveland.
Prediction
James ultimately decides that his second tenure in Cleveland is over and signs with Philadelphia. It just makes too much sense. The Sixers themselves have made it clear that they’ll target him in free agency. Both Simmons and Embiid are already All-Star caliber players. Simmons himself can help James play more off the ball. The match is perfect.
Not only would this be James’ way of building another super team, he’d do it in his own terms. That’s to say, Philadelphia’s young core proved it wasn’t quite ready for primetime in a conference semifinals loss to Boston. Should James join the Sixers and lead this squad to a title, he’d become the toast of one of basketball’s original cities.