Wherever Lebron’s Decision to continue (and most likely finish) his NBA career takes him, it will impact the NBA for seasons to come, and it is not one that will be made lightly.
As the NBA offseason is in full effect the options for the king are limitless. Any team that he goes to instantly becomes a contender regardless of conference and he inevitably will bring with him multiple superstars and seasoned role players. Lebron’s decision, as it has each time he has entered free agency, changes the league in a way that forever alters the landscape and power structure of the NBA.
The Cavaliers have shown the aptitude to turn nothing into something when they completely overhauled their roster to better suit a playoff run but is the cupboard too bare to keep the king in court? While the move may not be motivated by his legacy, which according to Shaq is cemented in history, it affects his family, future business opportunities and his perception around the league. One thing that remains certain is that whoever lands Lebron James will inevitably find themselves in playoff contention if not the NBA finals.
While this decision is one that impacts the league, a large portion of his decision will be made by others, namely his potential future team and teammates. At this point in his career, Lebron cares about one thing, hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy. His family has a large part to say in it and the teams and their rosters will clarify his choice, but the best route to another finals appearance is surely the best way to predict the future. So what does that future hold? Let’s break down the possibilities for this offseason and its implications. We’ve listed the scenarios in order of least likely (according to us) to most likely.
Boston
Some have surmised that Lebron would join back up with Kyrie and remain in the east and almost guarantee himself another finals appearance and this time would have the firepower to take down the Western Conference champion. This is unlikely given Lebron’s history with the Celtics and his more recent history with Boston. Lebron isn’t one to go to someone else’s team and its the exact same reason why Kyrie left Cleveland for Boston, to be “The Guy”.
Miami
While Lebron owns a house in Miami and his kids are familiar with the area, the Heat have very little to offer in terms of an easy path to the finals. Dwayne Wade may not return so there isn’t even the same relationship that called him to those crystal blue waters the first time.
San Antonio
Kawhi not? Pardon the pun, but puns are about as serious as the chances of Lebron ending up in San Antonio. Albeit the Spurs do have Leonard under contract regardless of his feelings and Lebron in town would certainly change things, it is doubtful that going to San Antonio would be enough without bringing another superstar with him. Playing in the same division as the Rockets would be an unwelcome change from playing in the same division as the Pistons, Bulls, and Bucks. Lebron does have a good relationship with Gregg Popovich, but Lebron’s light might be too bright for the style of basketball the Spurs like to play under Pop.
Philadelphia
The process should be subtitled: Build a Team That Appeals to Lebron. Lebron would be playing with the best rim protector since Udonis Haslem in Miami and Ben Simmons (if he were to develop a solid jump shot beyond 5 feet) could take on scoring duties. It seems enticing being in the east with Simmons and Embiid and the salary cap might work for another star to join him, but Lebron doesn’t like playing with rookies and Philadelphia doesn’t have the narrative feel that Lebron has seemingly prioritized.
Houston
Banana boat light sounded like a viable option until game 6 of the Western Conference finals when Chris Paul’s injury history once again jeopardized his chances at making a finals appearance. Lebron, Harden, and Paul together while somehow retaining a bulk of Houston’s core would almost certainly spell another finals appearance (if you simply insert Lebron into game 6 against the Warriors the Rockets would have won. Fight me.) but it may create a difficult balance having 3 ball-dominant players on the same team. The reason why the Warriors work so well together is that they relish setting each other up for good looks and creating mismatches when apparent. This would require a lot from James Harden who found sharing the ball with Westbrook and Durant in Oklahoma City too much for his ego. While there are challenges to this scenario, it is still more plausible.
TOP 2 Options:
Most recently many have narrowed down Lebron’s choice to 2 main contenders. These two offer the best both for his perceived legacy and for winning a title. While some may put these options at different spots on the Lebron Decision Chart with both teams needing a lot of permutations to be competitive, any Lebron led team instantly is in contention and finding the right players for a playoff run is something Lebron has been able to pull off
Lakers
I am not going to go into much detail on this one since it has been explained to death, but essentially if the Lakers can get Kawhi this year (via trade) or the next (via free agency) and also retain a fair chunk of its promising players ( cough, cough Simmons and Kuzma) while also adding Paul George, Lebron’s decision is made and his only obstacle will be a more vulnerable Golden State. However, this scenario is more likely to play out next year, rather than this year. That is why we think Lebron stays this year.
Cavaliers
Lebron has never opted into a player option in his career. He still probably won’t. If he doesn’t, its good news for Cavs fans because it actually would limit his options. The Cavaliers have demonstrated their ability to take an empty cupboard and completely overhaul a roster and provide Lebron with enough ammo to get him to the finals. It was barely enough and didn’t have the impact it could have, but it cured the cancer in the locker room and provided enough stability for the king to do his thing. Lebron’s decision will be made by tonight (6/30/2018 12:01 AM Eastern), but the lack of movement on other fronts gives the Cavaliers the margin of victory in this race for Lebron. Clarity will come with time but at this point the Cavaliers both provide the best narrative and don’t put it past Dan Gilbert to break out the checkbook and try to make something happen by surrounding Lebron for one last ride in his home state.