While LeBron James’ own team largely stood idle at the NBA trade deadline, outside of making a couple minor tweaks to the roster in Reggie Bullock and Mike Muscala, teams in the conference he dominated for the first 15 years of his career went bananas.
The Philadelphia 76ers, having already traded for Jimmy Butler earlier this season, pulled the trigger again and acquired a number of players, headlined by Tobias Harris. The Toronto Raptors nabbed Marc Gasol from Memphis. And the East-leading Milwaukee Bucks stole Nikola Mirotic from the New Orleans Pelicans, adding another floor spacer to an already terrifying lineup.
After four straight seasons of the Eastern Conference Playoffs ending at LeBron’s doorstep in Cleveland, the terrain is up for grabs, and the powers that be are scrambling to take hold of it. Watching from afar on the west coast, LeBron knows his absence is the catalyst for what’s all the sudden become a hell of an arms race in the East.
“Those top teams in the East, yeah, they’re going for it,” James told The Athletic. “Toronto is going for it, Milwaukee’s going for it, Philly. Boston believes they can do it, too. They know they ain’t gotta go through Cleveland anymore.
“Everybody in the East thinks they can get to the Finals because they ain’t gotta go through me.”
Yes, the Cavs’ streak of four straight NBA Finals appearances will end this season as they toil away in Rebuild Land, and LeBron can no longer haunt the teams he’s historically destroyed in the playoffs, even without a strong supporting cast. Surrounded by maybe his weakest team ever last season, LeBron was still dominant enough to sweep the Raptors out of the playoffs. Then, in the Eastern Conference Finals, he played all 48 minutes in a Game 7 victory on the road in Boston, dropping a triple-double to help the Cavs stagger back to the Finals. (“I damn near killed myself that day,” James said of that night in Boston).
The Eastern Conference Playoffs, long an afterthought with the carnage happening in the West, will be a must watch in 2019. And LeBron, who per The Athletic appears content with his legacy even if he never makes another Finals, can’t wait to sit back and watch like the rest of us.
“Sh*t, I was excited seeing all the moves they made in the East today,” James said. “Those matchups in the second round, in the Eastern Conference finals, that sh*t is gonna be crazy. It’s gonna be fun to watch.”
