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The summer of LeBron officially started.
After leading the Cavaliers to their fourth consecutive NBA final, LeBron James can become an unrestricted free-agent in the off-season by refusing his $ 35.6-million-worth player option next season. LeBron should do it even though he intends to stay because of the financial implications involved – Cleveland can offer him a new contract of over $ 200 million over five years when he becomes an agent free – but it opens the possibility of MVP four times joining a franchise in a better position to compete for a title than the Cavaliers.
We had this experience once before, when James signed with the Heat in 2010 to play alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Will he start again now that he has kept his promise in Cleveland, or will he choose to stay home despite another one-sided defeat by the Warriors in the NBA Finals?
Let's take a look at his best options …
Philadelphia 76ers
With Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid in the lead, the 76ers have won 52 games this season and entered the NBA 2018 playoffs with the third seed of the Eastern Conference. Simmons and Embiid are franchise-level players under the age of 25, giving James the opportunity to play with two of the league's rising stars while still playing at the MVP level.
The adjustment might not be as easy as other situations – the Sixers would need more perimeter volume shooter, and LeBron and Simmons are the attackers who get their points and assists in the same way – but that would give James a chance to compete. in the future, when Embiid and Simmons will enter their prime numbers.
Trust the process !!!! Find a new inclination @Roi James
– Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) June 9, 2018
Imagine teams attempting to score against LeBron, Simmons and Embiid, the finalist of the defensive player of the year, at one end of the field. (Remember, the 76ers had the NBA's third best defense this season without LeBron.) Imagine now that you're trying to slow down a trio of physically imposing players who are all comfortable breaking down discordances with their backs to the basket at the other end of the wire. the court with two knockdown shooters spacing the ground for them.
That sounds pretty scary, is not it?
Boston Celtics
The Celtics can offer James some of the same things as the 76ers, but they could be better equipped to eliminate the Warriors.
For one, Boston came in an NBA final win without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. If LeBron had been with the Celtics this season, there is no doubt that they would have come out of the Eastern Conference finals instead of the Cavaliers. The addition of the fourteenth All-Star title would make them favorites to represent the East in the NBA Finals next season, even if they will still be one of the teams. the youngest members of the league.
The Celtics marry well with the Warriors, too, with a list filled with long, athletic wings that can play both ends of the court. The age and experience could prevent them from dethroning Golden State immediately, but a core of LeBron, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown is being built to dominate the NBA for years to come. We all know what LeBron is still capable of doing, and Tatum and Brown have the potential to be All-Stars in the future – and, in the case of Tatum in particular, probably MVP candidates.
This is to assume that the Celtics can acquire James without having to part with Tatum and / or Brown. They should sacrifice a number of assets to sign a contract with the Cavaliers – this could mean including Irving, Hayward, Terry Rozier and / or some of their future draft picks – but in the long run The potential of Tatum and Brown would probably be the biggest draw for LeBron.
If that is not the case, the Celtics would still be able to surround James with a combination of Irving, Rozier, Brown, Tatum, Hayward and Al Horford.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets pushed the Warriors to seven games in the Western Conference finals with James Harden and Chris Paul. Add LeBron to the mix, and that would give them the firepower they need to do what no Western Conference team has been able to accomplish since 2014.
James would come at a huge cost, though. The Rockets already have $ 30 million committed to Harden for next season, and team owner Tilman Fertitta said as a result of their playoff loss that they "have to sign Chris [Paul]"and"want to keep Clint [Capela]"Houston would need to gut his roster to make room for LeBron, especially if Paul, who should sign a max contract, and Capela, who could sign a near-max extension, back.
There is also the question of whether Harden, Paul and LeBron could also work in the field. Paul has made some sacrifices to play alongside Harden this season, and yet LeBron, owner of the league's fifth highest rate of use in the regular season, would move them both in the hierarchy. The fact that Harden and Paul are excellent three point shooters helps, but that does not solve everything.
If they could make it work, the results would be terrifying. Harden and Paul have already proved perfect in Mike's Antoni system, and James is as good in isolation and selective marker as them.
the Los Angeles Lakers
It's almost impossible to know what the Lakers will look like next season if LeBron decides to sign with them. Luol Deng ($ 18 million) is the only player in his lineup to have gained eight digits in 2018-2019. Everyone, from Lonzo Ball to Brandon Ingram, is still on a rookie contract.
Unlike the Rockets and Celtics, the Lakers are not forced to sign a contract with James, so they have the option to enter next season with a core of LeBron, Ball, Ingram and Kyle Kuzma. However, they are also in a unique position to sign two All-Stars this season off, like James and Paul George, opening up the opportunity to swap some of their youngest assets (for Kawhi Leonard, perhaps?) To build a team that is better prepared to compete while LeBron is still in his prime.
Whatever the case may be, the Lakers can offer James the opportunity to play for one of the league's most legendary franchises (with Magic Johnson now taking the lead) – and one who is fit to establish a championship around him.
The Cleveland Cavaliers
James knows what he'll get when he stays in Cleveland. The Cavaliers have already committed more than $ 100 million in their lineup next season, with Kevin Love, George Hill, Tristan Thompson, JR Smith and Jordan Clarkson sharing $ 88 million. They might be able to move some of these players in the hope of bridging the gap between them and the Warriors, but they do not have the same promise as some of the other teams on this list.
Nevertheless, Cleveland is home, and LeBron took the Cavaliers to four consecutive NBA finals. Not only will they continue to gravitate around him as long as he will be there, but the Cavaliers can give him more money than any other franchise.
Is it enough to keep him in Cleveland? We will soon discover it.
Generic cards
The Spurs, because of Kawhi Leonard and Gregg Popovich: LeBron's desire to move to San Antonio probably depends on Kawhi Leonard's status. The two will immediately be one of the scariest two strokes in the league if Leonard can return to his 2016-17 form, although the Spurs should convince Leonard to stay in and pull a gymnastics cap on wages for them. unite.
The Warriors, because it's the closest guarantee of a title that LeBron will get: The Warriors should be wondering if it's worth it – a hilarious question that puts into perspective Golden State's dominance considering that we're talking about one of the greatest players of all time here – because James would ask them to break their core.
The Heat, because they are responsible for roles that could complement LeBron: The problem is that role players receive a lot of money, and that the Heat does not have any other star with James. Having already won two championships in Miami, what is LeBron's motivation to return to South Beach?
THE FREE AGENCY: Paul George | DeMarcus Cousins | Isaiah Thomas
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