Well, Brent, if news reports of rumors are facts, then yes, LeBron is aiming at LA.
And LA appears to be preserving cap space flexibility for next summer. Because LeBron isn’t going to go to any franchise that’s inflexible. Flexibility is what he wants, so he can shape the roster to suit himself.
Whatever you may want to say about Cleveland’s dysfunctions (no doubt we could keep a lively conversation going for weeks on just that one topic), it’s undeniable that they are out of cap space flexibility. LeBron is frustrated, because he can’t do anything with the roster. He’s not happy unless he’s fiddling with it — which some franchises would never let him do in the first place, but Cleveland did. Miami did. LA probably will, if they want LeBron to light on their perch for four years.
It’s a bit ironic, because LeBron got Cleveland to do everything he asked, until all of their cap flexibility was gone. There are no longer any dials to turn, levers to throw. To LeBron, that means it’s time to move on.
The drama is another reason to go. Business opportunities are another reason for him to go. But don’t misread LeBron. He’s a basketball player before he’s anything else, and he dreams of his legacy. He wants more rings. And he wants a say as to how he gets them. He’ll go where he can turn dials and throw levers again.
I wholly agree with this point that you made: if Kyrie leaves the Cavs, it won’t change the simple fact that Cleveland is in Boston’s way next season. Cleveland will find a way to replace him, probably with a point guard who relies less on iso and is more effective on defense. Kyrie’s current contract is high enough that if they lose him, they’ll have the cap space.
Boston’s best shot isn’t in 2017–2018. Their best shot is a year or two later, when their cheap younger players will have more experience and maturity and when they can finish putting the pieces into place by drawing on another draft season and another free agent season.
They just don’t need to look at a slight upgrade from IT. They really don’t. They’ll have their hands full breaking in their new guys and bringing along their young players. Better they go into next summer’s free agency with some cap flexibility, because for sure, there will be better assets in play next summer than Kyrie Irving. They won’t be able to play in that market next summer if they commit to Irving now — and he’s only two seasons away from a really big payday, which Boston will not want to afford.
An underappreciated factoid is that IT and his agent know that he vanishes on defense, and they know there are things a guy who’s only 5' 9" can’t pull off in the NBA, and so his contract is never going to be anywhere near the max. Ever. What you get with IT is a good — and sometimes electrifying — point guard on offense for a reasonable cost in cap space. That seems to fit in with Boston’s roster management scheme. Their point guard can’t play at the Westbrook-Hardin-Curry-Wall level, but those franchises are spending a lot more of their cap space on their point guards, while Boston is free to do other things with it.
Irving won’t be nearly that cheap when it comes time to renew his contract — though as an upgrade over IT, he’s not all that much better.
Every decision is a risk in the NBA. We’ll see how it plays out next summer. But I think Boston will finish putting its collection of pieces together with the next free agent class, and it’ll happen at the right time, because the Cavs will politely step aside after the 2017–2018 season, and the Warriors will shed talent like crazy a year later at the latest. Boston will get its opportunity; and they’ll get it without Kyrie Irving, who adds nothing they need and would take Boston out of the running to land a bigger free agent next summer.
By the way, I’m happy to conduct a civil conversation, too. And though I’m arguing for my interpretation here, I know all too well that there are things I don’t know about the franchises and the players, and I’m not 100% accurate when I make predictions. I could be wrong!
That can happen to anyone, including the franchises themselves as they navigate through the treacherous waters of drafts and free agents and contract negotiations. It’s *hard* to create a championship contender. The majority of franchises who try do not make the grade with their decisions. And they’re pros! We’re just fans here.
Humility is good for us, heh.