The idea that LeBron James would leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second time in his career seems to be picking up steam.
It was recently reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Cleveland’s asking price for Kyrie Irving is directly linked to the idea that the team will ultimately lose James in free agency next summer (more on that here).
Now comes this report from veteran NBA scribe Chris Sheridan indicating through a source that James himself is definitely leaving and that his relationship with owner Dan Gilbert is “beyond repair.”
NBA source said today: "This will be LeBron's final season in Cleveland. He is 100 percent leaving. Relationship with owners beyond repair."
— Chris Sheridan (@sheridanhoops) August 16, 2017
In no way should this be considered a surprise. After all, Gilbert apparently didn’t talk with James before firing then general manager David Griffin back in June. Meanwhile, there have been reports that James himself would like to play for the Lakers and Magic Johnson in Southern California.
After leading the Cavaliers to their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance, it appears that James is not happy with the direction of the team. Add in the fact that Irving himself has requested a trade, and this is magnified even further.
If James is indeed hellbent on leaving Cleveland, we must ask ourselves one question. Why not just go ahead and trade him right now?