As our friends at MLB Trade Rumors relayed on Tuesday, Lakers star LeBron James is now a part-owner of baseball’s Boston Red Sox, having become a partner in Fenway Sports Group, the company that controls the franchise. While this represents his first foray into ownership of a major North American sports team, James ultimately wants to own a franchise in his own sport.
“My goal is to own an NBA franchise,” James said on Tuesday, per Mark Medina of USA Today. “It’ll be sooner than later.
“… I have so much to give to the game. I know what it takes to win at this level,” LeBron continued. “I know talent. I also know how to run a business as well.”
As Brian Windhorst of ESPN details, James has put himself in a strong position to make that goal a reality. Forbes recently projected the four-time MVP to surpass $1 billion in career salary and endorsement earnings this year, and that estimate doesn’t take into account the return on his various investments, Windhorst notes. Even that amount of money wouldn’t necessarily give him enough to assume a controlling share of an NBA team, but it likely wouldn’t be hard for him to compile a group.
“If LeBron retired tomorrow, he probably could put together a group with enough capital to buy an NBA team in a short period of time,” an investment banker who has advised on past NBA team sales told Windhorst. “The trick is finding a group that would put up that kind of money and allow him to be the controlling partner if he’s not putting in the most money. That’s a harder deal to strike. But he is the type of athlete and businessman who might be able to do it.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Sources tell Wes Goldberg of The Bay Area Sports Group that the Warriors are committed to center James Wiseman and would only move him if they could land a “perennial All-Star”-type player. I noted in our Trade Candidate series on Tuesday that Wiseman is among a group of promising young players who could conceivably be dealt, but only for a star.
- Despite Marvin Bagley III‘s hand injury and Nemanja Bjelica‘s recent return to the Kings‘ rotation, Bjelica remains likely to be traded before next Thursday’s deadline, sources tell Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
- Malika Andrews and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN explore why the Clippers prioritized signing Serge Ibaka last offseason, as well as Ibaka’s relationship with star forward Kawhi Leonard.
LeBron buying into the Red Sox raises 2 interesting issues.
1. I wonder how Bostonians feel about a LA Laker being a part owner of 1 of their storied franchises?
2. This makes LeBron & Magic rivals in MLB.
If your wondering how baseball fans feel about it go check the MLBTR thread from yesterday …
* Enter w/ caution tho
Wiseman is conditionally available for trade
Kings and Wollves need to make more players available or conditionally available
I like the idea to dealing Bjelica for a young productive player, second round picks are not needed
Wiseman is not traded unless its for a real huge star with more than just 1 year on the contract. T-Wolves should be the team going for Wiseman with Towns as the center piece in the deal. I doubt very much Wiseman is traded because most all stars that will be traded are free agents soon. Also of note Wiggins would be going to that team too to help the Warriors afford the payroll.
arc89, I agree with your observations, although I’m not certain it would only be for a “real huge star” with multi-year control. I think the timing of Goldberg’s piece is not coincidental.
Between Wiseman’s recent COVID oversight and Curry’s frustration at the lack of consistent commitment and focus from the rest of the roster while he and Green carry the load, I suspect that the Warriors are letting out the smoke signals that W&W would be available for an All Star-type player who could be part of the reconstituted next championship team when Klay returns next year.
Yes, Wiseman is just a 19 year-old rookie who needs to be allowed to grow, but perhaps Curry’s recent dissatisfaction and Kerr’s own unhappiness with roster performance is pushing management to confront the roster now.
There is 2 sides to Warriors management on Wiseman. One side wants to play him a lot more. the other side wants him to learn more. Watching the games its Kerr that is the one that wants him to sit more. While Meyers wants him to play more. Even with a all star unless she is a big man in the middle I don’t see the warriors going far in the playoffs.
@biff Did you read the article? There is no ‘smoke signals’. Myers has been saying he would only trade Wiseman for a perennial all star.
I thought I couldn’t dislike LBJ more than I do but now he’s part owner of Red Sox. My dislike has reached another level.
Actually a good idea for the T Wolves arc –
What if GSW sent back the pick Wiseman and Wiggy….youd think that almost be perfect amount or even excess for Wolves right?
Edwards actually looks pretty damn good but he’s never going to flourish with DLo around –
Id blow it if Minny, do the Kat trade w GSW, deal Dlo in the off-season….Rubio can actually stay if they still have cap imo, or be dealt for expiring this year, but he’d prolly net more in trade next year w expiring himself –
The D’lo signing by Meyers will hurt the warriors for years. Spending that much money on a average player is dumb. Now they have Wiggins eating up that money. Warriors need a bench more than anything.
Ingram and Adams for Wiggins and Wiseman
DPE = Smiley for Bjelica
Keep the Wolves pick and use the pick on a player who fits Kerr’s stupid rotations (or fire Kerr and replace with Draymond and trade everything to fill the team with high basketball IQ guys in the mold of Livingston and Iguodala)
The Pels aren’t trading Ingram
Says no one. If they didn’t do the D-Lo trade they couldn’t have used the cap space. If you’re going to comment at least have a basic understanding of what you’re saying.
D’Lo was never worth the money he received same as Wiggins. losing it would have been better than handicap your bench money.
Luke Kennard for Ricky Rubio
Wolves would say no because Wolves don’t accept salary dump trade
“I also know how to run a business as well.”
This does not appear to be true, but if someone wants to clue me in here, I’d appreciate it.
So, if they are basically stating that he WILL be traded, what are we waiting for ?? Why must we always have to wait til the Trade Deadline Day ??
I have said this months
Wiseman and Wolves picks has been put in one trade package together
The bad teams please take this trade package
It’s only one trade
If I were Bulls, I’d take this package
The Bulls don’t have enough to get that package.
Wiseman+Wolves pick = elite level superstar.
I’d rather see GSW split it up into Wiseman+Wiggins and then another trade with the pick + Poole or Smiley and get back more than one good player to help Steph and Dray.
Why do you want to weaken the team?
Why do you want to trade Wiseman? Why would the Warriors want to give up the Wolves pick in a deep draft? Why sacrifice the team?
Bulls aren’t that bad a team anymore either. Check the standings, they are moving up. Donovan is a genius of rotations and matchups, uses players to their full advantage. What a difference it makes to have a real coach.
Bulls are 5 games over .500 since New Year’s. They also played several contenders in close games lost by less than 4 points. If they can inch their way up to the 7 slot, they might surprise some people in the playoffs.
Not likely to advance, but they will play tough and maybe win a game or two. At this point, they have the toughest schedule of all the teams bunched up from 5 to 11 slot in the East. They need to steal some wins from high-caliber teams, and defeat their immediate conference competition, i.e. Raptors, Hornets, Pacers, Hawks. If they can do the latter, one win against one of the better teams would get them to something around 35 wins, which should be enough for the 7 slot or 6 slot the way the schedules play out.
Who would have thought that my 2 baseball teams would be owned by Derek Jeter/Michael Jordan, and then LeBron James? Little weird having a Yankee fan own the Red Sox, but whatever. They’ve done ok with John Henry, despite him being a lying piece of garbage when he owned the Marlins