Some important parts of the Windhorst article on ESPN from Saturday.
LeBron James said his family and desire to "still want to be in championship mode" will dictate where he'll play next season, but he offered little detail as to when he'll make that decision. Despite whatever assumptions exist, for months James and those closest to him have made it clear that no decision about the future has been made or the choices even fully vetted. There's no well-formulated plan ready to be executed. There are a few issues James will have to work through and probably prioritize. And perhaps he'll have to make some tough compromises.
But something that should be understood when it comes to James this summer: Anything is possible. Repeat: anything. Making assumptions on things he's said in the past, feelings he's had in the past, bad blood, rivalries, weather, anything from the past could be a mistake. James believes he's got a blank check to do what he wants, and perhaps the only thing that's clear about this free agency is that he's not afraid to use it.
Family
James' oldest son, Bronny, is 13. His younger son, Bryce, will turn 11 next week. They will be able to voice their feelings on the decision this time. They have spent time in Miami and Akron and even Los Angeles in the summers. Bronny is a standout basketball player who has a chance at an NBA future, and his development and comfort through his teen years, of course, is important.
James' wife, Savannah, was already a driving force in 2014 when James came home to Akron. James loves watching his sons play basketball. It's hard to see him being apart from his family, which includes 3-year-old daughter Zhuri, at this stage of his life. In 2010, he left Savannah and his young sons in Ohio when he first moved to Miami. Now, where
they want to live is a deeper factor.
The case for Cleveland
James has been on the record many times -- including in
his coming home letter four years ago -- that he wants to finish his career in Cleveland. That is still the case. But a difficult year for the Cavs has made this a challenging time for James to consider how he wants to spend his final act.
The departure of general manager David Griffin,
Kyrie Irving's trade demand and a high-stress season may have shaken James' outlook. A series of mental mistakes during the Finals, namely JR Smith's blunder in Game 1, led James to muse "how do you put together a group of talent but also a group of minds to be able to compete" with the Warriors this week.
The Cavs are capped out and have limited trade assets, and it's unclear how much immediate help their No. 8 pick in the draft can provide. The
Boston Celtics and
Philadelphia 76ers established themselves this season as the teams of the future in the Eastern Conference, and the Cavs lack a clear path to make up ground. But there remains little to no trust between James and owner Dan Gilbert, and a limited relationship with general manager Koby Altman, who is less than two years older than James.
If there was a foundation there, perhaps James and Gilbert could get together and forge a plan going forward, such as roster moves, what to do with the draft pick or maybe style of play. That has never been how James has operated, however, and that doesn't seem likely to change.
The Cavs can offer James more money and years than anyone else, up to a five-year deal for more than $200 million. But James has signed four contracts with Gilbert in his career and none has been longer than three years. Since coming back four years ago, he has never given more than two. Little trust there.
Last summer, Gilbert requested that James commit long term to the franchise. James did not. Gilbert made an incoming draft pick the centerpiece of the Irving trade, establishing the point that he'd plan for a time after James and not be caught flat-footed the way he was in 2010 when James left. Little trust there.
James' roots in Ohio and his love of playing in front of its fans -- his joyful trots after game-winners this postseason being a strong latest example -- leave all options open.
Still, for James to go to another franchise at this point creates certain risks, and he'd probably have to be convinced the opportunity was worth any lingering fallout were he to depart Cleveland again. Maybe there will be one he likes, maybe there won't, and James will remain with the franchise under terms of his choosing.
Opt in, arrange a trade
If James does choose to move on, he and Gilbert could still do business. James has a player option for next season in his contract for $36 million that he has until June 29 to execute. Because the salary cap has stayed mostly flat since he signed this current deal in 2016, that $36 million number is close to the max salary available to him if he became a free agent.
Never becoming a free agent and instead getting traded would be beneficial to James because the no-trade clause in his contract would carry over to his new team, which would also inherit his full rights. Then he could sign an extension of up to four years with his new team six months after a trade, creating a five-year commitment for more than $200 million if he wanted it.
For the Cavs, this would open the door to getting a return for James and helping them start a rebuild instead of losing him for nothing. For James, though, this would mean he'd have to vocalize that he wanted to be traded away from Cleveland.
For example, the 76ers have significant cap space this summer but not enough to sign James outright to the max. It's possible that if James wanted it and the Cavs found a deal, the 76ers could trade for James and still retain the ability to sign their own free agents like
JJ Redick and
Amir Johnson, plus have exceptions available to add more talent.
The rules don't allow teams to talk to James before July 1, after his option pickup date. So to execute this type of deal, they'd need a player to recruit him -- which isn't against the rules.
James Harden helped lead the Houston Rockets' effort to land Paul last year.
James could also pick up the option and stay with the Cavs for another season and push back locking in his future for a year. At age 33, with the chance for the biggest contract of his career, that would not seem probable. But like these other options, it remains a possibility. It's James' option; the Cavs wouldn't have a say in the matter.
The unrestricted route
Then there's the conventional path, which would be to enter unrestricted free agency and change teams for a third time for a final act. This is the area where much time and effort has been devoted in recent months, namely with the
Los Angeles Lakers clearing out salary-cap space over the past year to prepare to pitch James after July 1.
James has made it clear that he only wants to take a max salary of around $36 million and isn't willing to take a pay cut -- like
Kevin Durant did with the
Golden State Warriors last summer -- to fit on a roster. It's possible those demands could soften, but currently taking that position leaves the pool of suitors for him shallow.
The Lakers can create more than $70 million in space, it is well known, to sign James and another max-level free agent. No other team is in that position. In his past two free agencies, James joined a team with another superstar in residence, and another star came with him. Chris Bosh joined James in coming to Miami with
Dwyane Wade in 2010. James joined Irving, and
Kevin Lovecame along via trade in the 2014 offseason.
Things change rapidly in the NBA, though. Teams that don't have cap room today could create some if they needed it or felt they could get James. The books are tighter this summer; there isn't as much overall space as there has been in the past three offseasons. That means the cost of offloading contracts will be more expensive and harder than in seasons past.
There are still doors, and that brings other teams into play that might have elaborate plans to acquire James. The Rockets are at the head of this list. It would be a challenge for them to re-sign free agents Paul and
Clint Capela andfind a way to add James. But it's not impossible, and general manager Daryl Morey is known for his scheming.
Pile it all together, and what James has is a lot of scenarios, many of them messy. Right now, there's not a sure bet in the bunch. There's a lot on the line; much of the league will revolve around what he does. It's going to take time, it's going to take thought and it might be unpleasant.
Welcome to another LeBron James free agency.
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23303509/lebron-james-hit-free-agency-again-anything-possible-nba