Lebron James: Where is he Going Next Season?

By Noah Eck

If you’ve been keeping up with the Cavs this season you probably already know about the possibility of Lebron leaving next season. It seems strange to think about given the Cavs success during this post-season however, Lebron is carrying this team and essentially has no help. Even the stats back this up: Lebron is averaging PPG:34.3 RPG:9.4 APG:9. Now this is very impressive but the next leading scorer for the Cavs this post-season is Kevin Love with a meager PPG:14.7. Some of these struggles are due to adjusting to playing without Kyrie Irving but many speculated that Kevin Love would step up and carry more of the load with more shooting opportunities but somehow that hasn’t happened. Love isn’t the only player who has dropped off since last season, Tristan Thompson dropped from averaging 9.2 RPG and 8.2 PPG to 4.4RPG and 4.9PPG this post season. This significant decrease in production from his teammates combined with the free agent opportunities available to him at the end of the season has led many to believe Lebron is packing up and hitting the road once the playoffs are over. With all of that being said, lets look at Lebron’s options and how likely he is to explore them.

Most Likely

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cavs have an advantage over the rest of the league because Lebron is from Northeast Ohio (and he’s already on this team) and has expressed his love for the area on multiple occasions. If Lebron were to choose Cleveland then he could either sign a 5 year max deal at about 205 million or he could just opt into the final year of his current contract. Regardless of which deal he makes, if he decides to stay then the Cav’s GM is going to have to make some trades to get Lebron some help.

Philadelphia 76ers The Sixers have already made it clear that they would love to pick up Lebron in the offseason (as any team would). Playing alongside the young stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid would definitely provide the help he needs to catch ring #4. The Sixers also will have the cap space available at the end of the season to sign Lebron so overall, this looks like a great fit.

Los Angeles Lakers Rumors of Lebron going to the Lakers have been around for a while now but this offseason is the most likely time that this could happen. Lebron already has a second home in Los Angeles and has shown regard for their starting PG Lonzo Ball. The Lakers also are the only team that can add another star alongside Lebron this summer. Regarding funds, the Lakers are able to offer Lebron a max deal and can still afford to pick up another star (cough cough Paul George cough cough) to help him out.

Houston Rockets Last up on my list for most likely destinations is Houston. Now Houston looks very intimidating this season as James Harden and Chris Paul have led this team to the Western Conference finals and the best record of the season. The possibility to play with these two stars alone should be appealing enough to get Lebron’s attention. If the money is a big deciding factor then Houston has an advantage because there is no state income tax in Texas which means his contract would bring in a little more money.

Not Very Likely

San Antonio Spurs Lebron has made known is respect and admiration for Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs organization is well known for making the most of NBA stars nearing the end of their career ie. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. The main reason this isn’t very likely is the fact that the Spurs lack the star power that other teams such as the Rockets or Sixers could provide. Regarding money, the Spurs would almost certainly have to give up either Kawhi Leonard or LaMarcus Aldridge in order to afford taking on such an expensive contract.

Miami Heat Just as Lebron made his return to Ohio, he could pack up and leave for Florida yet again. Thankfully the likelihood of this happening is pretty slim. The only real reason Lebron has for heading to Miami is the fact that he knows the organization quite well and is close friends with Dwayne Wade. The Heat would definitely have to jump through some hurdles to sign Lebron as the scenario would almost require trading Hassan Whiteside, Dion Waiters, and Tyler Johnson in order to free up the cap space.

Incredibly Unlikely

Oklahoma City Thunder The Thunder have enough star power to get Lebron’s attention (he even tried to recruit Paul George to Cleveland) and it is a relatively close location to his second favorite city, Los Angeles. So why is it so unlikely? Cap space. In order to bring Lebron to Oklahoma, the Thunder would have to trade some of the pieces that make the team look appealing such as Westbrook, Paul George, or Steven Adams. This could end up leaving Lebron in the same “lack of help situation” he is currently experiencing in Cleveland.

Golden State Warriors Last but not least we have the Golden State Warriors. The thought of this makes any Cleveland or anti-superteam fan shudder but it’s interesting to think about. First, this decision would probably make him one of the most hated players in the NBA as many people would see this as taking the easy road to a championship. Second, the Warriors are the only team in the NBA that wouldn’t have a problem passing on the opportunity to pick up Lebron as their recent success shows they really don’t need the extra help. As the old saying goes, “If it aint broke don’t fix it.” Lastly, picking up Lebron would require breaking up the Warrior’s core of Curry, Durant, Green, and Thompson in order to be able to afford his contract.

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