The NBA world is buzzing again with the possibility of LeBron James heading back to Cleveland for one last shot at a title.
After picking up his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers, questions about his future still loom large.
LeBron’s agent Rich Paul sent a cryptic message in the form of a statement about LeBron’s future, saying he “wants to compete for a championship” and understands how the Lakers are building for the future.
But, “The Lakers’ response has been middling, at best”, Yahoo Sports Tom Haberstroh says. “The team still hasn’t officially announced or publicized the return of the all-time leading scorer and second-team All-NBA member. They let Dorian Finney-Smith walk to rival Houston. They signed the recently waived center, Deandre Ayton, to a midlevel deal that is team-controlled for only one year. The Lakers’ offseason doesn’t scream “championship aspirations.””
League insiders believe a move East makes sense, with Cleveland standing out as the most logical destination.
The Cavaliers won 64 games last season but fell short again in the playoffs. Channing Frye summed up their issue back in March.
“The current iteration of the Cavs doesn’t measure up to the LeBron Cavs teams simply because they lack what I termed as ‘a bully’ on the floor,” Frye said on Oddball.
The Cavs could solve two problems with one move by bringing back James. Not only would they gain their “bully” but moving Darius Garland in a multi-team deal could fix their undersized backcourt issue.
As Haberstroh wrote,“The case for the Cavs going for LeBron is simple: They won 64 games last season, but looked severely flawed in yet another disappointing postseason run.”
With the Western Conference stronger than ever and the East wide open, James returning to where it all began might just give him his best shot at ring number five.
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