LeBron James recently opting out of the last year of his contract might be some found fortune for the Cleveland Cavaliers, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin detailed just how opting in could have spelled a more ominous ending.
“Had LeBron opted in, that would have been a bad sign for Cleveland,” wrote McMenamin. “It would basically have meant that his camp had a trade partner lined up. As it stands now, CLE is still in the mix. According to a Cavs source, the team’s “Plan A, B & C in free agency is to keep LeBron.”
It looks like this will be a two-horse race between the Cavs and the Los Angeles Lakers, which actually puts all the pressure in the latter, given that they are the ones that have to prove that they could put a winning team around James.
The King’s camp said he would be no longer interested in elaborate presentations, but rather the nuts and bolts of basketball operations.
The Lakers have made a rampant push to trade for San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard, worried that former target Paul George would stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder due to his new-found rapport with running mate Russell Westbrook.
The Cavs won’t have much to offer, as a potential deal with the Charlotte Hornets for Kemba Walker is likely a wash by now — but Cleveland is still home, and not moving is far more comfortable than moving at this point of his career.