With free agency approaching in just under a week, the Cleveland Cavaliers need to start scrambling to ensure that their almost-literal savior LeBron James stays in town. The rest of the team performed abysmally in the 2018 Finals, and without LeBron, each game probably would’ve been a 40-point blowout loss.
Now at age 33, the man has led the league in minutes over the last two seasons. He played a career-high 104 games this year, and is starting to look like another curious case of Benjamin Button. LeBron hit two game-winning shots this year in the playoffs, and averaged 34.0 points, 9.0 assists, and 9.1 rebounds.
On the downside though, is the rest of his team’s performance. Kevin Love, who is now a 5-time All-Star, struggled on the floor and shot just 39% from the field. J.R. Smith notoriously boneheaded Game 1 of the Finals, arguably being the top reason the Cavaliers lost that game. George Hill averaged just 9 points per game, and Tristan Thompson (their primary rim protector) pulled down just 5.9 rebounds per game while only blocking 0.4 shots.
The point is clear. LeBron James had very little help this season. He has cemented his spot as the greatest player of our generation, and giving Jordan a run for his money as the greatest to ever step on a basketball court. The final years of LeBron’s should determine that case, but where he spends them might be an important factor too.
Cleveland needs keep LeBron James if they want to stay relevant in the NBA. In order to do that, the franchise should be active and on the lookout for other stars. In terms of finding a good point guard to play with him, they succeeded very well in drafting Alabama’s Collin Sexton despite reports that LeBron doesn’t want to play with young guys. He’s proved his passing skills but mainly his scoring ability, which would’ve helped the Cavaliers greatly this year.
The team needs to at least attempt to complete a massive trade. This trade would need to bring in another true superstar, one among the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker or DeMarcus Cousins. Bringing a superstar into The Land would be a breath of fresh air, and it would completely rework the team’s framework. LeBron would once again have another running mate, somebody else to compete for another championship with.
If no trade is made, then Cleveland needs to be very active during free agency. They could seek players like Jabari Parker, talented big men who aren’t too expensive. The same goes for Rodney Hood; they ought to renew his contract and keep him, because he’s proved he can ball (despite his absence from a majority of the playoffs). Regarding their backcourt, pairing Sexton with a veteran (they already have Hill and Smith, who aren’t typically bad options) should be good enough. In a best case scenario, the Cavaliers find a way to afford and reel in Chris Paul from Houston, which would immediately make them serious contenders.
There’s another big deciding factor, and it is whether or not the other teams in the mix to sign him can even make their pitch enticing enough. Perhaps the Lakers can’t pull in Kawhi Leonard or Paul George. Maybe Houston really can’t afford him, or the 76ers don’t have enough pieces to deem themselves worthy of throning The King. If none of those teams can pull off what the necessary steps to keep LeBron interested, then the Cavaliers might just end up lucking out.
On a completely different note, there are two other scenarios that keep LeBron in Cleveland. In the past, he’s expressed his desire to own a team. Perhaps they present the chance to get a slice of the franchise to him, something he’d almost certainly take them up on. LeBron would love to be a player-owner, which would definitely important in retaining him.
The other thing that would help keep him is completely out of both LeBron and the team’s hands. It is his family. He’s one of the biggest family men in the league, and if his high-school sweetheart-turned wife Savannah wants him to stay for their family
, he will. His oldest son is now growing up, and keeping their home in the same spot would be beneficial for the entire James Gang trio.
Putting all of the factors previously listed into effect, the team has a lot of work to do. If they can’t pull off the right moves, then they better hope LeBron’s heart hasn’t changed. If he leaves, then Cleveland will once again go into the black hole of professional sports. If he does re-sign, then (impending the right moves) the Cavaliers live on as contenders.
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