[The GoatParticipant]

 Real GM Wiretap article Maverick Carter saying LeBron will only play where he can win.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/247942/Maverick-Carter-LeBron-James-Will-Only-Play-Where-He-Can-Win

That isn’t really news or a surprise, but the quote implied small market teams are still a chance, the LAs and NYs of the league are so bad that ATM market size doesn’t matter. It doesn’t make a difference where you play, as long as you win.

So, with that in mind, where is he going? Who else has cap room? He is not going to win with the banana boat crew. They’ve missed their chance.

My shock prediction – Sixers.

LeBron is close to Simmons. Embiid is a beast. Sixers will have the space and quite frankly, if he takes the Sixers to the Finals it’d be one of the most incredible accomplishments if not the best of his career.

I’m not saying it’s likely, but it is a possibility and I’d like to see it. I’m honestly at a bit of a loss as to where he might go if he leaves Cleveland.

Where do you wanna see him go and why?
Where do you think he’ll go?

[holefillers1Participant]

 Sixers will give Cleveland the following for Lebron- Saric,  Fultz, Holmes, Okafor, Stauskas, 2018 + 2019 first rd.  And not a penny more…

[Robb_CParticipant]

 I wouldn’t call getting LeBron a sweepstake at this point.. more like a lotto ticket.

[SlickBouncePassParticipant]

changed his tone.  All you did was knock the process.  It took you 7 games to change your mind.

I’m sure before the season if someone said Lebron to the Sixers you would’ve made a lame post about how it was a pipe dream.  This was a perfect occasion for you…seems like you’re buying in.  Its not too late my man.  Welcome aboard.  

 

  

[Celtics3178Participant]

 Lebron will never ever join the sixers. Ben Simmons and Embiid are great athletes but neither one has a jump shot. Winning the sixers a ring would not be the greatest accomplishment Lebron has made you do remember him winning clevelands first title a place where he grew up and said it was his dream to win a title.Embiid health issue is also a reason he won’t sign. If Embiid goes down that team is just young talent and Nothing else. No playoff experience, none of their key players have ever played a full season and Brett Brown is not the greatest head coach. 

He will most likely stay in Cleveland or go to the lakers. The lakers have the one thing no one else does and that’s Hollywood. Lebron is a full blown celebrity. He’s done movies commercials and he’s an executive producer for 3 of the highest rated shows on tv last year. Granted two were game shows he’s still got his name on it. His kids also go to school in LA and his wife would prefer a warm climate part of the reason he went to Miami to begin with. 

I think your wrong about the Bannana boat crew. Melo himself and Wade will all be free agents and if Melo had his way he would be with CP3 and Harden in Houston. I think he stays with Cleveland or lakers but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Houston. The fact is Lebron makes any team a contender. 

[The GoatParticipant]

 Very likely he won’t join the Sixers, and yes, Hollywood is commercially very good for him. He has a home in LA, yada yada. 

But in my opinion, if it’s about winning, the Sixers are a more attractive option basketball wise than the Lakers. Still unlikely to win, but Simmons and Embiid will be as good as anyone else on teams that can realistically fit him in. They’d have a shot in the East. 

He doesn’t win if he stays in Cleveland. He may join the banana boaters, but he won’t win with them either. Wade will be 36 and has already dropped off significantly.  

[SlickBouncePassParticipant]

You are not the first person to suggest this.  I did prior to the season starting, and was negged for suggesting it and laughed at by some people. The cap-gurus were saying there is no way it could work financially etc., let alone him coming here.

Well, welcome to the new age.  Athletes wanting to finish their careers in real sports cities.

Lebron is a frontrunner Cowboys-Yankees fan, he’s around my age, so that means he hopped on the Aikman-Emmit-Irvin bandwagon (all those kids you hated to see in school wearing Cowboys jerseys), and he was a Yankees fan too, so the Jeter-Rivera era frontrunner.  He clearly likes Winners, he wears 23, and he was a Lakers fan too, go figure. 

I personally think its a smart move for him to come here, and obviously having Lebron you have to figure out how to make it work, but I’m not sure how it’d work in Philly, between him and Simmons who are essentially the same player.  I guess instead of running TJ McConnel out there with Simmons now you’d run Lebron James, WOW.

Anyway, back to sports fandom, I think Lebron would be wise to play his last years in a crazy sports town like Philly.  JJ Reddick had goosebumps in game 7 of the regular season today.  I don’t know if Lebron would come to a real sports town, UNLESS, they are winning.  Early in his career I don’t think he had that killer mentality on his own.  He’s a great player, but he needs someone else to take the lead.  

I don’t see the fit, but obviously I’d love King James.  I hated him as a player because I never thought he had the killer mentality Kobe or Jordan had and he was being compared to them, but I’ll remember him for 3 things.

1.  Game 6 vs the Celtics, where he became a dominant post-up player and absolutely carried his team.  

2.  The block.

3.  Leaving a team that made the finals and going to a lottery team.  The team that made the finals became a lottery team, while the team he went to made the finals.  That is his ultimate stat.

The consecutive finals is also really impressive, but these 3 feats are absolutely all-time-great feats.

Anyways, Embiid and Simmons both have recruited the man, Philly would welcome Lebron with open arms.  Come retire here brother and win 3 with us, get 6.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

[220Participant]

 The moment you said Joel Embiid doesn’t have a jump shot was the moment I realized you’ve either never seen him play or you haven’t seen him play in years.

[Sewok15Participant]

 Had to lol at that….he is one of the best shooting bigs to come into the league in a while. His midrange game is reminds me of Aldridge but with better range. 

[Sewok15Participant]

 Had to lol at that….he is one of the best shooting bigs to come into the league in a while. His midrange game is reminds me of Aldridge but with better range. 

[Robb_CParticipant]

HGH fueled those title runs in Miami.. LeBron and Wade were jacked and never complaining about rest..Riley is a Nazi when it comes to conditioning.. theses guys look old now

[HitsterParticipant]

When MJ went to the Wizards as President of Basketball and then made a comeback as a player. With all the jokes about LBJ being the Cavs de facto GM, could a team potentially offer him a dual role.

Would this be against NBA rules as MJ was Front Office then returned to play?

I was just thinking might an ambitious team look to offer LBJ something a bit different and could he also become a minority owner whilst still playing.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

 I don’t wanna see LeBron lose year after year in the Finals.  If they even make it this year, I think they might get blown out.  If I were booking the league, I think I might go with an upstart team like Memphis this year.  

The league probably wants an "outsider/small market team" win a title.  And, with LeBron in the Finals, I don’t think ratings would take that big of a hit… even so, Warriors-Cavs rererematch would probably draw lower ratings this time around anyway.  We saw the Warriors beatdown last year.  We saw KD on the Ultimate Warriors.  What’s new?

This might end up being a ratings nightmare NBA Finals anyway.  Unless the Warriors (who are basically an upstart blue chip team) meet ANOTHER blue chipper like LeBron or the Celtics.  More likely, we get the Wizards, Bucks, or a less-than-full-strength Celtics squad that doesn’t have a high wattage super-duper star.

Even with the storied history, and Kyrie Irving’s sublime play, the Celtics are built more like an upstart team.  

If the Cavs lose AGAIN in the Finals this year, OR if they don’t even make it, that would give LeBron an excuse to go to the Lakers.  If I am Cleveland, I think that would not be a bad option.  Get the Lakers pick back in a trade, to go with the Nets pick even though it might not be as good as it was hoped for, along with the Cavs’ pick.  The Lakers probably won’t put Kuzma in the trade.  KCP might make too much money…

If I am Cleveland and the Cavs lose in the 2nd round, I would be ok trading LeBron for the Lakers pick, Julius Randle, and Jordan Clarkson.  Cash and future picks would help, too.

That Nets pick might be at 8-10 in a likely scenario.  Then you have the Lakers pick which I see being somewhere from 10-15 (at BEST they wind up as the 8th seed out West).  The Cavs pick looks to be slotted anywhere from about 15-25, but I would think it is a pick in the early twenties.  That wouldn’t be bad, plus you have Randle and Clarkson, along with any of the Cavs guys that you wanna keep (Love and/or TT).  

If the Cavs don’t want another power forward, then they should ask for Brandon Ingram.

Ok, here is a stunner: LeBron gets traded by the trade deadline for Clarkson, Ingram, Zubac, Luol Deng’s contract, a Lakers first rounder, second rounder, and a future first rounder.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I hope LeBron doesn’t join the 76ers. He’d stunt the growth of Ben Simmons, who’s game is based on having the ball right now. His shooting and game off of the ball are too limited to fit alongside LeBron. 

LeBron just needs to stay in CLE and stick it out. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JDB12Participant]

 I wouldn’t count out NY tho. Having a someone that’s proving to be a top 5-10 scorer like Porzingis could be very attractive for LeBron, and if Ntilikina has an impressive freshman campaign it could attract another star or two there if LeBron shows interest.

[OhCanada-Participant]

 I think its pretty obvious hes headed to Toronto and anyone that cant see the signs is just blind. Shame on you.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

 Every year, one free agent should go to a team determined by a lottery.  

[joe2324Participant]

If he leaves, I could see him playing for popovich. I know they both have a great deal of respect for each other 

[Ahkasi ClayParticipant]

 Jazz have all the pieces. They just need a engine.  They also have cap space.   

[Insane13Participant]

 He’s not going to the Lakers lol. Hollywood doesn’t matte during the season. It’s not like he can be making a movie while and NBA season is going on. 

[HitsterParticipant]

Spurs would be a good call – the top player playing for the top coach makes sense. Plus LBJ gets to play with Kawhi who would be 27 and nearing his peak next summer so it extends LBJ’s championship window potentially.

The Spurs would need to move players though to get LBJ next summer if we assume Gay and Green opt in.

 

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