Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert cannot offer LeBron James a stake in the franchise in an effort to retain his services, Michael McCann and Jon Wortheim of Sports Illustrated point out. The Collective Bargaining Agreement prohibits players from holding direct or indirect interest in the ownership of a team, thus the NBA would not approve a contract with any type of ownership provision, the story continues. The league has also been vigilant in preventing players and owners from intermingling their business interests, the SI duo notes. James can opt out of his contract or try to force a trade to a desired destination this summer.
Here’s some other interesting notes regarding the possibility of James playing elsewhere next season:
- The Rockets would need to either gut their roster or make a trade with the Cavaliers to add James, but the latter option is complicated by the team’s roster composition, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. The Cavaliers would likely want quality young talent to kick-start a rebuild in any James trade and the Rockets don’t have enough of those players while trying to match up salaries to absorb James’ $35MM contract, Feigen adds. The most desirable option for the Rockets is to dump Ryan Anderson‘s contract ($20.4MM next season and $21.3 MM in 2019/20) on a team with ample cap room, according to Kevin Pelton of ESPN. But Houston probably doesn’t have enough first-round picks to package with Anderson to get a third party to bite, Pelton adds.
- There are major obstacles to any possible pursuit of James’ services by the Celtics, DJ Bean of NBCSports.com notes. It’s highly unlikely that Boston would include Gordon Hayward in any deal, considering the high-level free agent chose Boston last summer and hasn’t even played a full game with the franchise, Bean continues. There’s also the sticky problem of trying to reunite James with Kyrie Irving, who asked out of Cleveland last summer. Acquiring James now would likely damage the team’s long-term prospects for being the dominant team in the league, given the assets they’d likely have to trade, Bean adds. Logically, the only big contract the Celtics would be willing to move is Al Horford‘s deal, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
- James’ decision will have more to do with his family than basketball, former teammate Dwyane Wade predicts, as Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald writes. “I don’t really think for him the basketball decision is ‘Oh, let me go team up with three All-Stars.’ I think at this point in his life it’s more so of a lifestyle thing,” Wade said. “Where is my family going to be the most comfortable at? Where am I going to be the happiest at? Because basketball-wise he’s so great, he can take along whoever.”
- The Lakers and Sixers are the favorites to land James while the Cavs are just a 5-1 shot to retain him, according to Bovada sports book, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The odds rundown can be found here.
Where’s the rest of the article? Mine gets cut off right before the author goes into how James likely winds up on the Knicks
I think that’s a sign that there’s no way he’s going to the Knicks
He’s going to the Lakers, his son is enrolling in a High School in LA.
I heard his wife just signed up for community college classes in accounting in Philadelphia
Oh.. Oh.. and don’t forget his dog was seen roaming the dusty streets of San Antonio, last Friday.
His hairline was last seen in Miami. Really.
That has nothing to do with this free agency period though. When he left Miami it just stayed behind.
But Miami is a possible landing spot.
Padam ftw.
So he’s definitely going to LA
No warriors
I heard his youngest daughter enrolled at a pre school in Boston
Guess you missed the tweet that squashed that rumor
I heard he just acquired a Wisconsin fishing license
He bought bins for curb side recycling in NJ
He just bought a 40,000 acre ranch in downtown Houston
Rumor has it he will start up the Seattle Supersonics with KD
Nope. KD only leaves a team when they lose.
Your salty tears are delicious.
He’s in Wyoming with Kanye
This is going to be a daily article isn’t it?
Sure is
Of course he’s got to put out options, and at least two need to be viable teams with cap space to sign him outright. Otherwise, his leverage (with Cleveland for power or to trade him, and with other teams for power) is less. If Cavs won’t trade him on the other team’s terms, then he needs to be able to threaten them that he’ll sign with Philly or LA into cap space and they get nothing. Has to be two teams with cap space, otherwise the one team with cap space can be difficult in other moves they make (which may be the win now moves he wants, and they aren’t really sure).
So, LA and Philly have to be there even if they’re not really within his real preference.
If terms are cavs need to take back Ryan Anderson and his crappy contract then cavs will and should just tell LeBron to walk to Philly or la ! Because Ryan Anderson sucks and would cost them double his salary in taxes! The rockets draft picks aren’t nearly enough to get cavs or a third team to take that scrub! To move Anderson rockets need to kick in one billion dollars in all 100 hindered dollar bills cash or no deal for real
It’s just a contract. If the team is committed rebuilding, it can be carried or otherwise managed without any resulting tax. It’s all about what comes back in return with him. The maximum cash that can be used in trades is under 6 mm per team per year.
Irony would be trading Kyrie back to Cleveland.
Now that would be hilarious
Target matching salaries for James must add up to $28.4millions, or one Al Horford. Sure the Cavs would like more BOS firstrounders, and they may as well make a playoffs without Lebron to show it can be done. This would not help re-sign Irving though. And it would be weird to make them recombine.
Rockets– no way all of James, Paul, &Capela. If James, it’s EITHER Paul or Capela, and probably below market. Anderson could be stretched to about $8MM, but he would have to be replaced at what $MM? In deed the roster lacks many names– 7 so far. No Ariza, Moute, Black or Green. HOU could re-sign the team, absent Paul and Capela, THEN James.
But that’s weird too.
I have no clue in what in the hell what you just wrote! Spare me the clarification as well.
Reads just fine to me. x%sure is one of the better writers on this site
Here’s a translation: The ESPN article about a possible CLE-HOU trade by Kevin Pelton is GARBAGE. No relevant details. Like, okay, you got James, but what about Paul? Where did everyone go? Traded. Duhhh
Pelton’s article assumes that they’d be re-signing Paul and Capela in either scenario (Anderson package or non-Anderson package).
James Paul Harden $100, Capela Anderson $50, 6 guarantees $50… wait they all have to be waived & stretched becaise $15 to get rid of first.
Pelton should look at the resulting roster, or at least recognize it.
It’s a debate of Kyrie vs Rozier. Rozier will cost considerably less, you let him hit RFA and you simply match whatever dumb contract the Nets offer him (which is the theme of the NBA the last 2 or 3 years). Whereas Kyrie will require a contract in excess of 30M a season. What can I get for Kyrie vs what can I get for Rozier.
Rozier can do a pretty good Curry impersonation on the court. On another site I listed Rozier as someone to trade the #8 for if James stays. So if it takes BOS a max contract to keep Irving… what you said. Pass
I’d revisit the Suns as a trade partner. You could go Kyrie to the Suns, LeBron to the Celtics, Jackson to the Cavs + pieces to make the money work. I think #16 or #27 would also be in play bc the Cavs would need to take back an undesirable contract.
PHX wasn’t interested in Irving in the 2017 offseason.
Cannot see Boston going for him, they can be competing with Philly for the next decade, why would they surrender assets to win now when they can have a brighter future ahead of them?
Also I wouldn’t trade Horford, wouldn’t mind Kyrie or Hayward, but Horford is a better player & more important for Boston, trading him would cause a huge hole in the inside, which Boston would have to fill, yet loosing more assets.
Nothing is guaranteed. They could have injuries, other players emerge. Every year is a win-now. Wizards and Raptors looked like they had this bright future and LeBron said no. Clippers? San Antonio and GSW said no. OKC had 4 All Stars, that lasted… Windows close fast.
Decade? You guys really underestimate roster turnover.
He will never win with the lakers. If he leaves the east he will never make it the finals again. Golden state will win the next 2 years.
only if they keep Klay..
All Klay talks about is staying in Golden State
The only way I see him going to LA is if that is what his family really wants. If he goes to LA he is going to have to grind his way through the Western Conference playoffs and probably have a much tougher 1st round matchup then have to go through both the Warriors and Rockets just to get to the Finals and then play Philly or Boston. In the east he would still have to likely go through Philly and Boston but I just don’t think they are as good as Houston or Golden State.
Long story short if he cares about winning first staying in the east makes more sense whether it be with the Cavs, Boston, or Philly. Just an easier path to the finals.
I’d love to start a poll on how many Celtics fans would actually want Lebron. I’d definitely rather beat him than win with him. It just wouldn’t feel right with him on the roster. He’s a locker room cancer. Everyone is saying how crappy his teammates are. Yes, they played horribly, but they’re actually not bad players. They quit and so did Lebron. And as the late great Herb Brooks once said, “I’ve got no time for quitters.” I hate the way he carries himself. He thinks he’s bigger than the organization and that just would not fly in Boston. He’d be #BadForBusiness
I am sure fans of almost every team in the Eastern Conference would rather beat him than have him on their team. The problem is none of them have been able to beat him in the last 8 years.
It’s funny how outsiders claim he’s a locker room cancer yet every single current and former teammate tend to glow about how great of a leader he is and how selfless he is in terms of sacrifice. Kyrie was different. I think he has an ego spurred on by Kobe. Not mad at him but he clearly wasn’t buying in to what the Cavs were doing and what they were doing was playing in the finals every year. And no, I’m not a LBJ fanboy. Kyrie is actually my favorite player.
If LeBron wants to go to Houston, and is willing to opt in to make it happen, I think the Cavs can accommodate him and let the Rockets keep their existing team in tact. But Rockets would be looking at enormous luxury tax (more than Cavs and Warriors currently pay) and would be minus 3 1st round picks with no or very light protection. Cavs would need to commit to a total rebuild from the ground up, 3-5 years, but realistically that’s where they’ll be if LeBron leaves in any event.
I’m not sure Gilbert even wants James to stay. The clue is talking about Sexton… Sexton is not a “Lebronable” PG, a twitch guy instead of a mental guy. His speed is not really what James wants to stress. But Gilbert and Lue would like him. Gilbert would like a Gilbert team.
But if the reflective Porter is available at #8… that would impress James (and most folks). Might impress Portland (Mccollum) or Detroit (Drummmond). Draft day may make the difference.
Gilbert was tweeting about Sexton, his only show of appreciation for a player worked out that I know of. But he also wanted to applaud the staff for getting back to work so quickly after the finals. So maybe the Sexton mention was incidental… but he is Gilbert’s type.
Fact: he and his family were touring Newport Harbor day school today. That’s were Kobe‘s kids go.
Since every sports media outlet has been hypothesizing where he will go for the last year….. all I want to hear is when he signs. The rumors and speculation is over on this topic because it’s been killed and the fun has been taken out of it
Boston hates Lebron. Let his ass go to LA and let’s kickstart the rivalry back up.
Boston is more of a destination than has been spoken of. Irving (who will likely leave later), Morris, Rozier, Sacto’s first.