LeBron James might decide to leave Cleveland after a horrendous spell during this postseason with very little support from his teammates — but Houston, we got a problem.
According to the ESPN’s Chris Haynes, who appeared in The TK Show with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, James has a multitude of options in free agency, but Houston is a rather unlikely one.
“Houston has been linked a lot,” said Haynes. “I’ve been told that that’s not a realistic option.”
The Rockets would have to manage a complete overhaul in hopes to sign James this summer. Not only is he a supermax-level free agent, but the Rockets also have impending contracts of their own, including Chris Paul, who will enter the summer as an unrestricted free agent, and spark plug Clint Capela, who is due for a massive raise after his contributions this season.
Houston would also have to make a choice, between keeping either Paul or Capela while signing James, given that James Harden reached a supermax extension with the team last summer, putting the organization in a bind that will be tough to shed moving forward.
Not only is the salary cap situation quite complex, but the pieces on the court simply just don’t add up. If we’ve learned anything from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the sheer collection of talent isn’t enough to win in this league, it takes congruence and a chemistry to take a team to the promised land.
Playing Paul, Harden, and James together (all ball-dominant players) could cause absolute pandemonium, as two of the three players will have to be content with playing off the ball for long periods of time.
Paul wants a max deal, and the front office has been enamored with Capela and his constant improvement throughout the seasons. GM Daryl Morey wants to add talent, but this is one huge talent he won’t be able to ink after shipping out most of his other flexible contracts during the Paul trade last season.