Will LeBron James leave Cleveland again?
After LeBron James lost in the 2016 Finals against the Golden State Warriors in 5 games, some people are questioning that LeBron will leave again. People are saying that he’d go to Los Angeles (either the Clippers or the Lakers). I don’t think that will happen for a few reasons.
He has it made in Cleveland
LeBron has the front office listening to him and not Tyron Lue, the head coach. LeBron supposedly got David Blatt fired to get Tyron Lue. Now whether that is true or not is up for debate, but I think the front office would rather listen to their franchise player than a head coach that has been there for only 2 years. He can basically play how much he wants, which is majority of the game especially in the playoffs. He is the heart and soul of this Cleveland team. He is arguably the best player in the league, and he has 2 All-Stars playing with him. That team can only get better, and they have to if they want to beat the Warriors.
Cleveland is his home
He was born in Akron, Ohio, and there is that sense of loyalty to the state of Cleveland. He already left once because the front office was a complete disaster. He went and won 2 championships in Miami, and came back to win one for Cleveland. He could’ve stayed in Miami and probably would’ve won another championship. The Heat had a great front office, and could’ve attracted more free agents and keep Dwyane Wade. Sadly, the Chris Bosh incident would’ve still happened because that’s almost unavoidable, but they could’ve kept Dwyane Wade, have Hassan Whiteside be the glass cleaner, have Justice Winslow be the spark off their bench or play shooting guard. The pieces were there, yet he left to go back home and get Cleveland that championship. I don’t see him leaving his home again, and I think he will retire as a Cavalier.
Money
Now he would probably get paid more money if he went to a bigger market team, such as the Lakers, but he will take the pay cut to win. It’s not like he’s not getting paid in Cleveland. He is making 30.9 million dollars a year. To put that in comparison, Kevin Durant is making 26.5 million dollars a year. LeBron will probably have to take a pay cut, so they can bring in some key free agents to help the team. If I were to guess his contract this year, because technically he is a free agent, he will probably sign a 3-year, $25 million contract. That would total to $75 million after his contract is up, and I’m not counting the bonus and advertisement money he would make. If he still wanted to make the same amount of money or make more money, he would probably go to the Lakers, who are known for overpaying for free agents.
Has the most chance of winning in Cleveland
Cleveland is one of, if not, the best team in the Eastern Conference. The only teams that could beat the Cavaliers in the playoffs: the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics. The Raptors can possibly lose star point guard Kyle Lowry, and then the team would only have star DeMar DeRozan. If they lose Kyle Lowry in free agency, then they don’t stand a chance against the Cavaliers. The Celtics beat them once in this year’s playoffs, and they could win a series if they get a superstar in free agency. They have the number 1 pick in this year’s draft, which is guard heavy. The Celtics have point guard Isaiah Thomas and shooting guard Avery Bradley, so they don’t really need another guard. Now they could draft small forward Josh Jackson from Kansas, but they really need to get a superstar like Gordon Hayward or Paul Millsap in free agency. Until they can get another superstar, they won’t beat the Cavaliers. So LeBron, as of right now, has the best odds to win the Eastern Conference. Now if they can land a few key free agents in free agency, they will have a better chance of beating Stephan Curry and the superteam Golden State Warriors.
The Western Conference
If he leaves the Cavaliers and goes to Los Angeles, then he will become a part of the Western Conference. He hasn’t played in the Western Conference in his whole career. This means he would have to play the superteam Warriors and the timeless wonder San Antonio Spurs 4 times instead of 2. He would also have to face them in the playoffs and not the Finals. LeBron has both beaten and lost to both of those teams in the Finals. He would have to play them just to reach the Finals. He might not even make it back to the Finals again in his career if he moves to the Western Conference.
He would lose credibility in the GOAT argument
If he leaves Cleveland, this will be his 3rd time leaving a team. He said this to a CBS reporter: “It’s just a personal goal. I just never brought it up. It’s a personal goal to be able to be greater than great. I think that should be everyone’s goal.” If he leaves again, he loses loyalty, thus losing credibility in the GOAT discussion. Michael Jordan played for two teams: the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards. He played for the Bulls for 13 years, and he played for the Wizards for 3. LeBron has played for the Cavaliers for 10 years and for the Heat for 4 years. If he leaves again that’s 3 teams he would play for in his prime. That’s not going to help his argument for the GOAT.
Those are the reasons on why I think LeBron will stay in Cleveland, and not go anywhere in free agency. If he does leave, I want him to go to the Los Angeles Clippers because that team with Blake Griffin, Chris Paul (if he stays), DeAndre Jordan, and now LeBron James would be very entertaining to watch. So many people would be dunked on, and so many alley-oops would happen. Plus, he might be the piece that the Clippers need to get past the second round in the playoffs, but I don’t think he will leave the Cleveland Cavaliers.
