Much has been made in the last week of the Cavaliers’ poor performance against the Celtics in Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. One topic approached in particular is the potential free agency of LeBron James this summer. James, who has a player option worth a little more than $35.6MM, will again be the showcase of his free agent class like he was in 2010 if he decides to decline his option.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer opines that James, should he choose to enter the open market, may again change the way we think about free agency. O’Connor writes that as the most powerful player in the game, James could leave the Cavaliers and potentially land with the Rockets this offseason – most likely by opting in to his contract and forcing a sign and trade a la Chris Paul last season – then join the Sixers a year or two later before ending his career in Hollywood with the Lakers.
It may seem improbable, but as O’Connor notes, LeBron is probably the one player – other than perhaps Kevin Durant – who can get away with signing one-year contracts season after season, relying on his power and talent to confidently assure himself he’ll be able to sign another maximum-salary deal the next year. He’s been doing it with the Cavaliers ever since he returned to Cleveland in 2014.
Ultimately, while there likely won’t be another “The Decision” debacle if James ends up leaving the Cavaliers, it’ll be interesting to see where James ends up playing next season nonetheless.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Both the Bucks and Pacers have first round selections in this summer’s draft, with Milwaukee selecting at No. 17 and Indiana at No. 23. Beat writers J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star and Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel provide five potential draft targets for each team.
- Mark Strotman of NBC Sports Chicago takes a look at the fit of Alabama point guard Collin Sexton, aptly nicknamed “Young Bull,” as the pick for the Bulls at No. 7. Sexton, who was coached in college by former NBA coach Avery Johnson, averaged 24.2 points on 53 percent shooting, 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in five postseason games this past season.
- And speaking of the Bulls, Dan Santaromita of NBC Sports Chicago reports that reserve forward Paul Zipser underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair a broken left foot. Zipser has a non-guaranteed contract worth just over $1.54MM for next season.
While James is no doubt at the top of his game and at THE top of the NBA, it’s dangerous to imagine giving him a long contract. Thinking of Kobe, et al, toward the ends of their careers was sad at best while destroying any hope of making the team better due to his bloated contract.
ATM… no doubt the best player and worth what ever he can get. But for long term… this idea he’ll opt out and play for the James Hardin is odd at best, but then going to the Sixers as if his advanced athletic age won’t be a large yellow flag. yellow b/c he could end up doing just that and winning more rings.
Then there’s that little, “…ending his career in Hollywood with the Lakers” after playing for Houston and then the sixers. I bet he wouldn’t have much left by then.
Then again, if he can do it, that’d be one of the most amazing athletic feats in any sports.
I think at some point he has to sign a long term deal though, and even if he’s done before the contract ends, teams will take that risk to have LeBron James for 4 years. He’s been going year to year and it’s been working, but at some point the long term security of a fully guaranteed max contract has to appeal to LeBron. Father time is undefeated, but if anything happens to him, the team that gets him can feel ok knowing that any team would have taken that risk. Barring injury, I fully believe Kobe would have stayed at an elite level. LeBron hasn’t really shown signs of wearing down yet.
You can’t use Kobe as a comp. He signed a 2 year extension after he tore his Achilles.
But you brought up Kobe in the first pl-
never mind I tried.
This dude is just hopping team to team, I never seen a superstar do this type of thing.
It’s just somebody’s projection, Dionis.
LeBron can go year to year. Money isn’t a problem. He’s got plenty of security nike money in that lifetime billon dollar deal there.
i would lose respect for lebron if he went ring chasing to finish his career
LeBron’s obsession with leverage in contract negotiations is ludicrous..I’ve never seen a star of his magnitude be such a drama queen when it comes to their contracts…It is ridiculous, and quite frankly getting really old..