Kyrie Irving is the newest member of the Boston Celtics, but there was some speculation that he may have inadvertently given the Cavaliers one last parting gift before he skipped town. With LeBron James now firmly in control in Cleveland, some thought it might renew James’ desire to stay in Cleveland and win another championship for his hometown.
But Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher says many higher-ups in the NBA feel that James is almost certainly heading out of Cleveland next summer. That’s a doomsday scenerio for Cavaliers fans that might be slightly softened by the arrival of Isaiah Thomas and the Brooklyn Nets’ unprotected first round pick in the draft, but nether of those things have as great an impact on a franchise as LeBron himself.
Bucher’s article has quite a few sources that say James will leave Cleveland after this season including, perhaps strangely, an anonymous Western Conference scout.
“He’s out,” a Western Conference scout says.
“Foregone conclusion,” one Eastern Conference general manager adds.
“I don’t see him staying in Cleveland,” another thinks.
The sources Bucher spoke to are far from optimistic about James returning to Cleveland, and they seem just as sure of the destination James will land at come next summer. Part of that comes with the uncertainty that Isaiah Thomas’ injury casts over the upcoming season for the Cavaliers.
“We all have the numbers when a guy gets hip surgery,” one executive says. “They’re not good. Now what if he’s not right and needs surgery anyway? That is not nearly the same trade.”
With all that in mind, league executives not only expect James to leave but have circled his destination—the Los Angeles Lakers—for a host of reasons.
Those reasons are, as follows: His production company and eventual foray into acting, the potential to join the ownership group of the Lakers, and the chance to win a championship with three different teams in his NBA career.
This push and pull between being the hero that stays or the star that looks to shine elsewhere is an interesting dichotomy in the NBA. As shown by the current drama with Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, you can be cast as The One That Stayed and build yourself as a hero for exactly that reason. But it’s a fragile existence, and though not signing a contract extension right now is smart, it could harm Westbrook’s reputation in OKC.
Whether James has any of those feelings after next season is anybody’s guess. He doesn’t really worry about his reputation anymore, and he’s famously said he has nothing left to prove to anybody. That means the only expectations he has to fulfill are his own.
(Via Bleacher Report)
