NBA: James' Possible Destinations
I decided to put out a question on r/NBA just to see where people think LeBron James should sign during the offseason, and the results were pretty interesting. Before we get to that though, it's become apparent that James needs a change of scenery as his Cleveland Cavaliers have lost the last two NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors, and were swept just last week. He came back to his hometown team, the Cavaliers, and won a ring which was a massive weight lifted off of his shoulders. If he hadn't won that title in 2016 then I believe this conversation would be very different. Many people would probably be pointing for James to stay in Cleveland and try to acquire more talent around him.
But since he gave the city of Cleveland their long-awaited championship, it seems it may be time for him to get out and win rings elsewhere. I think it's obvious that James needs to sign somewhere else during free agency, but the actual destination makes the decision a difficult one to predict. It seems like the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers have become the front runners, but the Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and New Orleans Pelicans are hoping for a meeting with The King. Add on to that, some people are throwing around teams like the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and more. And then there is one other team: the Warriors.
Remember way back in February when that report surfaced that James would consider going to the Warriors if they could somehow make it happen. Well, here we are, and it's The Decision time (again) for No. 23. If he were to leave, it wouldn't be the first time, but going to Golden State would likely be looked at as the weakest move in NBA history. Stephen A. Smith destroyed Kevin Durant for leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to play with the Warriors, and this would certainly top it. But still, r/NBA has spoken, and an overwhelming amount of people think James should sign with Golden State if he solely wants to win rings. Now, I guess that's the real question. Is James only worried about championships, or will he consider business ventures and perception?
As you can see above, exactly 50.0 percent of the commenters say Lebron should go to Golden State, because that's where he would be able to win the most titles. But how would it work? Steve Kerr has helped turn the Warriors into (arguably) the greatest dynasty we've ever seen, with a "death lineup" of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Andre Igoudala. All five players have at least one All-Star bid, and have combined for 22 appearances and three NBA MVPs. It's kind of unbelievable how potent they are. If James were to leave Cleveland for The Bay, Kerr and Co. would have to part ways with a pair of his top players, most likely Igoudala and Thompson. Would the Warriors even consider doing it?
While I understand that theory, I don't see this happening because James is a fierce competitor, and I don't see him taking the easy way out. But the other option are very compelling. I thought the 76ers would get more love because they were already the third seed in the Eastern Conference without James. If you add them, they likely vault to the top spot, and would have a starting lineup consisting of three potential All-Stars. But only nine people (6.3 percent) agreed with me. The Rockets received the second most votes, with 15.3 percent. Houston would also boast a squad with three All-NBA level players in Chris Paul, James Harden, and James, but they would have to deal with the Warriors being in the same conference.
Although, the Rockets did take Golden State to a Game 7, before coming up short. Add James to the mix, and we could be looking at a major shift in the Western Conference. I think Houston and Philadelphia are the most likely destinations, but according to the results of the poll, the Celtics (10.4), Spurs (9.0), Jazz (3.4), and Bucks (1.4) should be seriously considered too. It remains to be seen where James will end up, but one thing I found most notable, was that no one picked The King to re-sign with the Cavaliers, nor did they see him taking his talents to the Lakers. James' decision will be made in the month of July as free agency begins on July 1st, and the world is definitely watching!
Photo Credit: The Daily Beast.
