Lebron to the Lakers/free agency

erikthredd

This morning on First Take, Stephen A. Smith had this to report:
“LeBron James will have a conversation with the Golden State Warriors this summer. That is one of the teams that he will have a conversation with. That’s right. I said it. I’m telling you what I know."

"LeBron James is going to have a conversation with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Obviously they can offer him the most, and they are willing to do anything they can to keep him here, etc. etc. And obviously the wife is going to have a major, major say in that, so you got that going on."

“He’s going to have a conversation with Boston. He’s going to have a conversation with Philly. Obviously the Lakers. Houston is in the mix as well. They are going to go after him. Make no mistake about it.

“So, you’ve got Cleveland, Philly, Boston, Houston, L.A., Golden State. I don’t think there’s anything Miami can do, but obviously because he was there and brought them two championships, that’s a conversation that Pat Riley will have. You’ve got to remember Pat Riley made amends with Dwyane Wade, and you all know how LeBron feels about D-Wade. These are all conversations he’s going to have. Those are the seven teams.”

So the Boston mention has gotten a ton of airplay today here in New England and i just don't see how realistic a Lebron to Boston move is.
Boston would have to move some big pieces before they have any chance of thinking about signing Lebron for the 35M it would take,meaning Kyrie,Hayward or Horford. There is zero chance Hayward's 30M/year gets dealt with his ongoing recovery from his foot injury and his relationship with the head coach. So that leaves either Horford or Kyrie,i doubt Cleveland helps Lebron & Boston come together with a sign & trade where they get back Horford plus other smaller pieces. If by chance that happened,you'd then have Kyrie & Lebron together again which doesn't seem like a smart idea. It would guarantee that Kyrie doesn't re-sign here next offseason. Sure Boston would instantly be on GS's level by adding Lebron but they would have just dumped their entire plan of putting together a young team to complete for the long term in the East. Kyrie fits their timeline right now,Lebron doesn't. If Kyrie was going to get dealt I would hope it would be for an Anthony Davis,Karl Anthony-Towns or possibly for the Suns 1st overall pick along with one of the Suns top young players.
If Lebron would ever be serious about playing for the Celtics so he can win a championship in the next few years I would hope Danny Ainge tells him take the mid level exception then you can team up with Kyrie,Hayward,Horford,Tatum & Brown to take down the Warriors. I doubt his ego is willing to do that though.

He'd be vilified forever if he ends up jumping to the Warriors especially if the Cavs lose to them in these Finals.
Miami doesn't make sense because they don't have the pieces to make them a contender with his addition.
Same with the Lakers,they can possibly sign two stars but they still wouldn't have enough to get past GS.
Houston would have to gut the entire team to add him then you'd have three guys that need the ball in their hands to be at their best.
He could stay in Cleveland but this is probably unlikely because they can't add any major players to help him next season. No one wants their overpaid players.

With everything going on with the 76ers GM right now,where he looks to be leaving Philly in the next day or two,the stars are lining up for a Dan Gilbert & Lebron tandem going to the 6ers real soon. That would be my guess where he ends up.

stevek

<<< With everything going on with the 76ers GM right now,where he looks to be leaving Philly in the next day or two,the stars are lining up for a Dan Gilbert & Lebron tandem going to the 6ers real soon. That would be my guess where he ends up. >>>

Geez, then i'd have to root for this whiny, complaining, big baby?

erikthredd

@stevek said:
<<< With everything going on with the 76ers GM right now,where he looks to be leaving Philly in the next day or two,the stars are lining up for a Dan Gilbert & Lebron tandem going to the 6ers real soon. That would be my guess where he ends up. >>>

Geez, then i'd have to root for this whiny, complaining, big baby?

That's how Boston fans sounded on talk radio today after the Celtics got mentioned on his list. I'd be ok if he came here but not if meant major changes. Philly makes the most sense,they could deal Ben Simmons & picks for Kawhi Leonard who teamed with Lebron & Embiid would make a killer trio to go along with all their solid role players. They could even move some combo of Saric/Fultz/Covington/picks to possibly go after another star player.

SanctionII

As for James going to GS, I do not think that would be something either James or GS would want.

I have heard reports of GS being very interested in going after Anthony Davis. I think that would require breaking up the current team by shedding one or two of the four all stars. Things do not stay the same forever and a team starring Curry, Durant and Davis (and maybe Green or Klay Thompson) would be very interesting to see play.

Coinstartled

Don't really care where he goes. He and the numbskulls from GS turned the finals into political chatter. Hell with them, I have a good book to read.

erikthredd

I agree GS makes no sense for them or Lebron. If the Pelicans ever decide to deal Anthony Davis it is going to take a godfather type of deal to land him and I doubt GS would offer enough. Green isn't good enough offensively to be the major piece going to NO so that leaves Klay Thompson and honestly If I were the Pelicans GM i'd rather keep AD over Klay. GS's younger players outside of the core four aren't good enough to make that Klya for AD swap worth it. Neither would their 1st round draft picks be either when they'll be in the 28-30 range. AD probably doesn't go anywhere in the end.

fergie23

I think Cleveland or Houston make the most sense. That said I don't think he wants to leave the East where he doesn't have to beat any good teams to get to the Finals. He has benefited from inferior competition in his conference for a decade. The Celtics next year might finally have the pieces necessary to beat Lebron but who knows what Ainge will do to the team.

Robb

galaxy27

i know one thing. the nba already has a very severe parity problem, and it's only going to get worse as this if-you-can't-beat-em-join-em era continues to gain steam. depending on where lebron goes, there will be no more than a handful of teams that can win the title, and that's an aspect of the association that i have deep-seated disdain for.

i said LA at the beginning of the season, but i oscillated toward Philly after the all-star break. i can't envision boston, i can't envision houston, and i don't wanna envision GS.

galaxy27

@Coinstartled said:
Don't really care where he goes. He and the numbskulls from GS turned the finals into political chatter. Hell with them, I have a good book to read.

enjoy your book. i'll text you score updates

fergie23

The 80s Celtics had 4-5 HOFers - Bird, McHale, Parish, Johnson, Walton. The 80s Lakers had 3 HOFers - Magic, Kareem, Worthy - and made the finals 8 times in 10 years. Honestly there is no real difference between those dynasty teams built primarily through trades and the draft and the can't-beat-em-join-em era except that the players are getting to decide.

Robb

galaxy27

that's an enormous exception. there's nothing organic about it. the best players nowadays are sprinting to a select few (viable) franchises because the league is so top-heavy.

if lebron goes to golden state, i will be unable to find any redeeming value from watching the warriors go 83 - (-1) during the regular season, and therefore i'll be compelled to join coinstartled's book club.

erikthredd

@galaxy27 said:
i know one thing. the nba already has a very severe parity problem, and it's only going to get worse as this if-you-can't-beat-em-join-em era continues to gain steam. depending on where lebron goes, there will be no more than a handful of teams that can win the title, and that's an aspect of the association that i have deep-seated disdain for.

i said LA at the beginning of the season, but i oscillated toward Philly after the all-star break. i can't envision boston, i can't envision houston, and i don't wanna envision GS.

The parity problem in the NBA has been a thing going on the past 25-30 years though. The real problem is your can't beat them join them scenario and that probably isn't going away anytime soon. I wouldn't put GS in that group because they were a great team before Durant got there and they built that team thru the draft which is so hard to do. When you look at the next group of contenders,Boston got lucky where Ainge was able to exploit a desperate GM with the Nets into giving up their future for some past their prime players and Philly basically had to do a 4 year tank job to get where they are now. I honestly don't see any other teams jumping up into that category unless Lebron picks a team and brings some friends.

erikthredd

@galaxy27 said:
that's an enormous exception. there's nothing organic about it. the best players nowadays are sprinting to a select few (viable) franchises because the league is so top-heavy.

if lebron goes to golden state, i will be unable to find any redeeming value from watching the warriors go 83 - (-1) during the regular season, and therefore i'll be compelled to join coinstartled's book club.

I think that move would absolutely kill Lebron's legacy which already takes enough hits as is.

Coinstartled

@galaxy27 said:

@Coinstartled said:
Don't really care where he goes. He and the numbskulls from GS turned the finals into political chatter. Hell with them, I have a good book to read.

enjoy your book. i'll text you score updates

Woody to his credit stayed far away from political discourse. He golfed with Obama as well as Trump but that was the end of it.

He certainly has a bucket load of problems but he never has appeared to take sides.

erikthredd

Lebron going to the Warriors would be like Thanos joining the Avengers

• Jimmy Kimmel

SDSportsFan

He'll end up at home, crying because he lost another championship

STeve

erikthredd

@SDSportsFan said:
He'll end up at home, crying because he lost another championship

STeve

It looked like he was actually wiping away tears in this video just minutes after the JR Smith gaffe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=WDW4xTE-JgM

bronco2078

@erikthredd said:
Lebron going to the Warriors would be like Thanos joining the Avengers

• Jimmy Kimmel

I know thats how much kimmel sucks , he thinks people will laugh at that. I bet 4 nerds in the back laughed everyone else is thinking wtf

erikthredd

@bronco2078 said:

@erikthredd said:
Lebron going to the Warriors would be like Thanos joining the Avengers

• Jimmy Kimmel

I know thats how much kimmel sucks , he thinks people will laugh at that. I bet 4 nerds in the back laughed everyone else is thinking wtf

I posted that just for you

DIMEMAN

You live and die by the 3......right now GS is dying by the 3.

Brick

After the Cavs come back to win the championship I don't see him leaving Cleveland. GS will probably try to add another superstar to be in good position for the rubber series next year.

DIMEMAN

I swear sometimes CS will go thru a stretch where you wonder how they ever won a game!

bronco2078

curry with 3 fouls hmmmmm whos the ref again? Usually curry is forgiven half a dozen fouls a game thats not happening tonight

bronco2078

@DIMEMAN said:
You live and die by the 3......right now GS is dying by the 3.

Some stupid nerds somewhere that have never played basketball in their life determined that making 3 point attempts is 2.53% more effective .....................except when it isn't. And ask the Celtics fans how slow they change game plans in game when that isn't working. Maybe 19 minutes from now a guy thats o for 9 from 3 pt line will think about doing something else.

Nerds are ruining every sport.

erikthredd

@bronco2078 said:

@DIMEMAN said:
You live and die by the 3......right now GS is dying by the 3.

Some stupid nerds somewhere that have never played basketball in their life determined that making 3 point attempts is 2.53% more effective .....................except when it isn't. And ask the Celtics fans how slow they change game plans in game when that isn't working. Maybe 19 minutes from now a guy thats o for 9 from 3 pt line will think about doing something else.

Nerds are ruining every sport.

There's a huge difference between a 2 time Finals winner vs a bunch of untested kids. GS's experience came out of the half taking it to the rim repeatedly and getting easy baskets. They ended with 54 points in the paint and I bet most of those points came in the 2nd half.

stevek

http://www.vegasinsider.com/nba/odds/futures/

Very interesting future odds on winning next season's NBA championship, as far as this thread topic is concerned.

They've got the Sixers at a paltry 7/2, while the Cavs are a long shot at 30/1

That can only mean one thing, in my opinion...that the bookies have made these odds as if the deal of LeBron going to the Sixers is already done?

One thing for sure, the Vegas bookies always know better what's really going on out there, versus half-arse sportwriters most of whom truly don't have a clue.

erikthredd

Philly's GM just got canned.

keets

after the Finals, the Draft, offers proffered via his agent and some closed meetings with Cavs management and Coaching Staff I think Lebron will do some soul-searching and make the tough choice to stay in Cleveland.

SanctionII

Maybe James will try to strike a deal with Dan Gilbert (if such an agreement is allowed by the applicable rules of the NBA) that:

1. James stays in and plays for Cleveland for the remainder of his career (with the team shedding its current older and more expensive players so that it can find younger, inexpensive talent and/or a top flight free agent or two to sign with the team); and

2. In return Dan Gilbert agrees to sell part or all of the team to James after he retires (at a set price agreed upon now, or more likely at its market value at the time of the sale), or alternatively gives to James an option to purchase some or all of the team in the future, or alternatively gives to James a right of first refusal to purchase the team in the future.

It will be interesting to see what James does this summer and who he will be playing for next season. Hopefully he will not do a repeat of the 2010 televised "Decision".

erikthredd

I'm glad you mentioned the Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, i predicted in my OP that after the 76ers canned their GM maybe we see a Dan Gilbert/Lebron tandem in Philly. I meant former Cavs GM David Griffin not Gilbert.
If Lebron stays in Cleveland he'd earn a lot of respect from fans & the media for not taking the easy way out and leaving. We'll see.

SanctionII

I think that if James desires to stay in the East yet leave Cleveland, Philly is the place he would want to go to. He would be the best player in the game and would be surrounded by young talent that have "All Star" written all over them. Assuming that the young players on Philly would be willing to let James lead them for 3-4 years, Philly could become a team that gives James what he has lacked in Cleveland (a very talented supporting cast that would stay together for years).

erikthredd

I just read an article on Philly's GM resigning and it said after the 76ers renounce all of their free agents they would have roughly $25M in cap space so that would mean that there would have to be a sign & trade with Cleveland to cover the other 10M it would take for Lebron to get his 35M max deal unless he takes less. I doubt the Cavs just take on a 10M player alone without getting more so Philly will have to give up something of value in order to get the Cavs to agree on helping Lebron go to the 6ers. If he does end up there i'm interested in seeing if Philly then goes after another star like Kawhi or Paul George. Philly could realistically have a team just as stacked as GS or Boston next year if they decide to go after more than just Lebron.

galaxy27

@erikthredd said:
I just read an article on Philly's GM resigning and it said after the 76ers renounce all of their free agents they would have roughly $25M in cap space so that would mean that there would have to be a sign & trade with Cleveland to cover the other 10M it would take for Lebron to get his 35M max deal unless he takes less. I doubt the Cavs just take on a 10M player alone without getting more so Philly will have to give up something of value in order to get the Cavs to agree on helping Lebron go to the 6ers. If he does end up there i'm interested in seeing if Philly then goes after another star like Kawhi or Paul George. Philly could realistically have a team just as stacked as GS or Boston next year if they decide to go after more than just Lebron.

i think stevek just pitched a tent

stevek

@keets said:
after the Finals, the Draft, offers proffered via his agent and some closed meetings with Cavs management and Coaching Staff I think Lebron will do some soul-searching and make the tough choice to stay in Cleveland.

I would have thought you would be right, but those bookies don't give away money. I mean 30-1 on the Cavs next season? That would be like stealing if you're a gambler. The real odds if James is on the Cavs would certainly be aound 5-1 or less.

The bookies can go as low as they want with odds on the Sixers, and that's an indication but it doesn't really mean that much. However offering 30-1 on the Cavs, offering high odds such as that, tells me that the bookies are sure that James will not be with the Cavs next season.

DIMEMAN

If I was a Cleveland fan and he dumped my team AGAIN.........I would DUMP him!!!

keets

Jon, that would be your prerogative but I enjoy watching him play too much. it is like all the hate spewed over him...........................until he plays for your Team, then you sort of see what is happening a bit differently and think different about him. he was booed roundly in Indy, Toronto and Boston every time he touched the ball. if he lands in aany of those cities they will cheer him till they go hoarse.

stevek

@galaxy27 said:

@erikthredd said:
I just read an article on Philly's GM resigning and it said after the 76ers renounce all of their free agents they would have roughly $25M in cap space so that would mean that there would have to be a sign & trade with Cleveland to cover the other 10M it would take for Lebron to get his 35M max deal unless he takes less. I doubt the Cavs just take on a 10M player alone without getting more so Philly will have to give up something of value in order to get the Cavs to agree on helping Lebron go to the 6ers. If he does end up there i'm interested in seeing if Philly then goes after another star like Kawhi or Paul George. Philly could realistically have a team just as stacked as GS or Boston next year if they decide to go after more than just Lebron.

i think stevek just pitched a tent

By far, my two favorite sports to enjoy are football and baseball. I've played a lot, and watched a lot. However that's not to say I don't like basketball. I've been to a number of Sixers games and local college games over the years.

If the Sixers acquired James, i wouldn't like it...for around two seconds...and then i'd be rooting for James to bring a championship to Philly.

DIMEMAN

keets - I understand where you are coming from....I just don't care for his attitude. What if every good player wanted to move around until they got on a team where they could get a ring! Heck he has 3 rings. That is more than some really good players ever get. I admire those good players that play their heart out with the team that drafted them....ring or no ring.

SanctionII

Would not it be truly amazing if James and the Cavaliers rallied to win the next 4 games of the Finals to win the title 4-3?????

I doubt it will happen, but if it did, that would be a story book ending.

bronco2078

@erikthredd said:
I just read an article on Philly's GM resigning and it said after the 76ers renounce all of their free agents they would have roughly $25M in cap space so that would mean that there would have to be a sign & trade with Cleveland to cover the other 10M it would take for Lebron to get his 35M max deal unless he takes less. I doubt the Cavs just take on a 10M player alone without getting more so Philly will have to give up something of value in order to get the Cavs to agree on helping Lebron go to the 6ers. If he does end up there i'm interested in seeing if Philly then goes after another star like Kawhi or Paul George. Philly could realistically have a team just as stacked as GS or Boston next year if they decide to go after more than just Lebron.

Le Bron has shown he can drag any team to the east coast half of the finals but he can't win it alone. paul george and lebron go to philly , golden state is not sweeping that team philly will win that series easy

bronco2078

@DIMEMAN said:
What if every good player wanted to move around until they got on a team where they could get a ring!

whats wrong with that?

DIMEMAN

@bronco2078 said:

@DIMEMAN said:
What if every good player wanted to move around until they got on a team where they could get a ring!

whats wrong with that?

If you have to ask...I can't explain it to you.

erikthredd

@bronco2078 said:

@erikthredd said:
I just read an article on Philly's GM resigning and it said after the 76ers renounce all of their free agents they would have roughly $25M in cap space so that would mean that there would have to be a sign & trade with Cleveland to cover the other 10M it would take for Lebron to get his 35M max deal unless he takes less. I doubt the Cavs just take on a 10M player alone without getting more so Philly will have to give up something of value in order to get the Cavs to agree on helping Lebron go to the 6ers. If he does end up there i'm interested in seeing if Philly then goes after another star like Kawhi or Paul George. Philly could realistically have a team just as stacked as GS or Boston next year if they decide to go after more than just Lebron.

Le Bron has shown he can drag any team to the east coast half of the finals but he can't win it alone. paul george and lebron go to philly , golden state is not sweeping that team philly will win that series easy

Philly wouldn't make it past Boston

stevek

@DIMEMAN said:
keets - I understand where you are coming from....I just don't care for his attitude. What if every good player wanted to move around until they got on a team where they could get a ring! Heck he has 3 rings. That is more than some really good players ever get. I admire those good players that play their heart out with the team that drafted them....ring or no ring.

Jon - If James comes to Philly, i'm going to kindly ask you and everyone else here to please refrain from disparaging remarks or using bad words when speaking about LeBron.

Thank you for your cooperation.

DIMEMAN

@stevek said:

@DIMEMAN said:
keets - I understand where you are coming from....I just don't care for his attitude. What if every good player wanted to move around until they got on a team where they could get a ring! Heck he has 3 rings. That is more than some really good players ever get. I admire those good players that play their heart out with the team that drafted them....ring or no ring.

Jon - If James comes to Philly, i'm going to kindly ask you and everyone else here to please refrain from disparaging remarks or using bad words when speaking about LeBron.

Thank you for your cooperation.

If they deal Ben to get James.....they are STUPID!!!

bronco2078

@DIMEMAN said:

@bronco2078 said:

@DIMEMAN said:
What if every good player wanted to move around until they got on a team where they could get a ring!

whats wrong with that?

If you have to ask...I can't explain it to you.

These are men not sheep they see something they want and they take it. they are not going to bow and scrape to the bossman for table scraps

DIMEMAN

@bronco2078 said:

@DIMEMAN said:

@bronco2078 said:

@DIMEMAN said:
What if every good player wanted to move around until they got on a team where they could get a ring!

whats wrong with that?

If you have to ask...I can't explain it to you.

These are men not sheep they see something they want and they take it. they are not going to bow and scrape to the bossman for table scraps

Is that how you look at Ted Williams?

erikthredd

@DIMEMAN said:

@stevek said:

@DIMEMAN said:
keets - I understand where you are coming from....I just don't care for his attitude. What if every good player wanted to move around until they got on a team where they could get a ring! Heck he has 3 rings. That is more than some really good players ever get. I admire those good players that play their heart out with the team that drafted them....ring or no ring.

Jon - If James comes to Philly, i'm going to kindly ask you and everyone else here to please refrain from disparaging remarks or using bad words when speaking about LeBron.

Thank you for your cooperation.

If they deal Ben to get James.....they are STUPID!!!

There is no way Philly trades Simmons to get Lebron but if they found a way to sign Lebron longterm without a player option I would deal Simmons for Kawhi Leonard if he agrees to a longterm deal as well.

erikthredd

@DIMEMAN said:

@bronco2078 said:

@DIMEMAN said:

@bronco2078 said:

@DIMEMAN said:
What if every good player wanted to move around until they got on a team where they could get a ring!

whats wrong with that?

If you have to ask...I can't explain it to you.

These are men not sheep they see something they want and they take it. they are not going to bow and scrape to the bossman for table scraps

Is that how you look at Ted Williams?

If you want to look at Ted Williams just open the freezer door

bronco2078

@DIMEMAN said:

@bronco2078 said:

@DIMEMAN said:

@bronco2078 said:

@DIMEMAN said:
What if every good player wanted to move around until they got on a team where they could get a ring!

whats wrong with that?

If you have to ask...I can't explain it to you.

These are men not sheep they see something they want and they take it. they are not going to bow and scrape to the bossman for table scraps

Is that how you look at Ted Williams?

Ted williams was a great player but widely known as a douche bag, you want to model yourself after him? Also he had his head frozen then people sawed it off and played soccer with it WTF

DIMEMAN

I think James should go to Houston. Then they would have 3 ISO players. They would be trying to steal the ball from each other to see who gets to go ISO. I WOULD LOVE THAT!