The Sixers are said to have “growig behind-the-scenes confidence” that LeBron James can be convinced to relocate to Philadelphia as a free agent this summer.
With the Cavs laboring just to get out of the first round of the playofffs, it seems increasingly likley that James will bolt from Cleveland.
LeBron has repeatedly told reporters this season that he has yet to give his future serious thought.
Per the NY Times:
But the Cavaliers suddenly look so rickety again that I now fully understand why whispers about the Philadelphia 76ers and their growing behind-the-scenes confidence that they can woo LeBron to Philly this summer are getting louder.
If title contention is what matters to King James — and my sense is that nothing except family considerations matters more to LeBron than playing somewhere he will be in immediate and constant contention for rings — Cleveland is no longer the place. The Cavaliers just don’t have the look of a reliable contender with that porous defense and limited supporting cast, nor do they have the financial flexibility to make the moves needed to get better-fitting pieces around James to get back to that level.
It’s simply going to be easier for LeBron to move elsewhere than wait for the Cavs to reload this roster with sufficient help — barring some miraculous trade that can be constructed around the lottery pick via Brooklyn that they hold in the June 21 draft. Maybe Cleveland can still get hot in these playoffs and find a way back to LeBron’s eighth straight finals, because the competition in the East continues to be so forgiving. But it’s getting ridiculous how much this franchise is asking James to do on a nightly basis, at age 33, just to win first-round playoff games.
