LeBron James was on the record saying he liked Collin Sexton of Alabama before the draft, but the Cleveland Cavaliers selecting him probably doesn’t have much impact on the decision that James will have to make in the coming days.
According to Ken Berger of Bleacher Report who texted some NBA executives after the Cavs made their selection, the executive’s common answer if this move helps the King stay in Cleveland.
“Nope”
According to Bleacher Report what the Cavs did during the draft wasn’t done with James free agency decision in mind.
The Cavs went into the draft intending to make their selection without regard for whether James would stay or go as a free agent, league sources told Bleacher Report.
There were rumors that the Cavs would try to trade for Kemba Walker for the 8th pick before the draft, and there is still a chance that the Cavs could go after the Charlotte Hornets guard, but they aren’t willing to trade Sexton, and they don’t have many other assets, that would make a trade intriguing for the Hornets.
It’s really not a surprise that the Cavs are making the decisions without James in mind because the same thing happened at the trade deadline.
They are trying to get good players around James, but they are also keeping them young, so if James does decide to leave, it won’t be as big of rebuild as the last time that he left during free agency.
They have the young players in place to reload and hopefully get back into the playoff discussion soon.