The Cleveland Cavaliers are down 3-0 to the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals, and barring a miraculous comeback, complete meltdown by the Dubs, and a few acts of God this series is over and Bron’s record will fall to 3-5 on the NBA’s biggest stage. For a man that has stated he is chasing the ghost of Michael Jordan and 6 NBA titles, what’s next?
The NBA is in an unprecedented era of player control and with the league’s salary cap set to rise, superstars joining up via free agency, etc. is the new normal. Before we go any further, “old school” fans and players need to just accept this and get over it. Superteams are not new, the league has always had them. What is new, is the way they are constructed. Now, the league’s current reigning superteam looks like it will be the Dubs and barring injuries, fatigue, and the randomness of sports, the balance of power will reside in the Bay Area for the next few years. If Bron’s main goal is to stack titles, the Cavaliers as currently constituted are not going to be good enough to beat the Dubs. Tristan Thompson is virtually unplayable this series, and has 3 years remaining on his 5 year $82M deal. J.R. Smith has 3 years remaining on his 4 year $57M deal, Kevin Love has 3 years left on his 5 year $113M deal and Kyrie has 3 years left on his 5 year $94M deal. All that is to say, there is a lot of salary locked up in the core of this team and that doesn’t count LeBron. To compete with the Warriors and the new NBA, you need to have a multitude of two way players, specialists are useful but having a roster with an all time, generational, transcendent player orbited by specialists is not a recipe for success. How can the Cavs improve their roster, in order to compete with the Warriors?
Trading Love is a possibility, but what can they get in return for an oft injured 28 year old forward, whose defensive deficiencies are on full display in these NBA Finals? Who wants to take on that salary? What would the Cavs get in return? They can’t move Tristan, who wants a one dimensional player that is not doing the one thing he is paid to do? The problem for Bron is this roster is largely his construction. He has wielded his massive power and influence to put together this team, and they dominate the eastern conference and have made three consecutive trips to the Finals. But they cannot beat this Warriors team in a 7 game series. Could Bron leave?
It’s not out of the realm of possibility. James can opt out of his current deal at the end of next season. He will be 33 at the end of the season, his 14th, still playing heavy minutes and late season playoff basketball. That’s a lot of miles on his body. We all like to think of Bron as a cyborg but he is a human being and it’s not like he has another 10 years to play and accumulate titles. There have been a lot of conversations by people in the know saying that there is a possibility Bron opts out and heads to Los Angeles to team up with the Clippers or Lakers. Bron has a home in Brentwood and his media businesses are based out of LA. The idea there being that he would either unite with his banana boat crew (CP3, Wade, Melo) or the young core of the Lakers, which could potentially also include Paul George, Jimmy Butler or Gordon Hayward. The banana boat crew doesn’t seem likely, an aging Bron, CP3, Melo, and Wade are not winning any titles. The Lakers would be more likely, IF, they can lure Paul George and depending on whom they select in this year’s draft.
Whether Bron opts out or decides to continue playing Cavs GM with David Griffin, he knows if he wants to win more rings, change is necessary. Only time will tell if it will be personnel, and/or location.