CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 13: LeBron James attends Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round. … [+]
LeBron James talked while sitting courtside with his wife Savannah and Klutch Sports agent Rich Paul during Game 4 of the second round of the Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers playoff series on Monday night. called. This raised eyebrows across the NBA, especially since James could become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he declines his $51.4 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2024-25 season.
“People in the NBA, multiple general managers started sending me their own memes back, 'What's going on in Cleveland?'” ESPN brian windhorst said on Tuesday's episode. get up.
Windhorst noted that his decision to attend the game may have been harmless, as James and his wife were back in Cleveland for Mother's Day. Then again, that has rarely been the case throughout James' NBA career.
“He's very strategic” Windhorst Said Not like a sportsman Tuesday morning. “And I'd like to say he knew exactly what he was doing. I don't pretend to know, but he must be up to something.”
James may have been trying to send a subtle message to Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, who missed Game 4 with a calf injury. He has only one guaranteed year left on his contract and a $37.1 million player option for the 2025-26 season, which he is almost certain to decline.
Mitchell is eligible to sign a four-year extension worth more than $200 million this offseason. If he refuses, NBA executives have long speculated that the Cavaliers would have to trade him to avoid losing him for nothing in free agency next summer. If that happens, the Lakers will be “one of the teams on the front lines,” according to The Athletic's Jason Lloyd.
However, the Cavaliers could try to turn the tables on the Lakers by attacking James instead.
The Cavs already have a salary of $156.5 million for next season, well above the projected salary cap of $141 million. That means they can offer James at most $12.9 million as a free agent under the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, or $38.5 million off his maximum salary.
To maximize his chances of winning a championship, James could theoretically sign a minimum-salary, one-year contract with a candidate of his choice, whether it be the Cavs or another team. can. That would be frowned upon by just about everyone, including fans, media and the players' union, but it's an option at his disposal, even if it's unlikely.
If James declines his player option, the Cavaliers could convince the Lakers to sign and trade him. Depending on what the Lakers prioritize in return and who James most wants to play with in Cleveland, they could offer a combination of Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen.
Unlike Damian Lillard, who tried to force his way to the Miami Heat last offseason but was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks, James has leverage with the Lakers thanks to his player option. Many teams in the playoffs will have at or near maximum cap space this summer, including the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, and Oklahoma City Thunder, so James could sign with one of them in free agency and leave empty-handed. There's a good chance he threatens to leave the Lakers.
If the Lakers' other option is to bring back something of value through a sign-and-trade, that would be preferable to losing James for nothing. However, by acquiring James in a sign-and-trade, the Cavaliers would set a hard cap of $178.7 million on the first apron, but that would mean the Cavaliers would have to build their roster around either James or Garland Mitchell. There probably isn't enough flexibility left to enhance it. The Mobley-Allen Quartet remained.
Teams can now legally begin negotiating with free agents the day after the NBA Finals, giving James and the Lakers nearly a week to finalize deals and trades before free agency officially begins. . However, it would be a better situation for both James and the Cavaliers to pick up the player option as part of an opt-in and trade instead.
A sign-and-trade would hit the Cavs with a hard cap on the first apron, while an opt-in-and-trade would only hit the Cavs with a hard cap of $189.5 million on the second apron. That would give him nearly $11 million more flexibility to reshuffle the supporting cast. This is a big difference and would also allow access to the mid-level taxpayer exception in free agency.
Once again, James has to hand out the Lakers here, too, by denying the option and threatening to leave free agency empty-handed if the Lakers don't comply. The Cavaliers will have little trouble establishing a legal framework from a salary matching standpoint. Either Garland or Mitchell, Mobley or Allen will be featured.
James would probably prefer playing with another supernova scorer like Mitchell over a point guard like Garland. Frankly, the Cavs may only make a deal like this if they can convince Mitchell to sign an extension at the same time.
The Lakers will likely request Mobley — whose versatility next to Anthony Davis could be game-changing — but the Cavs will likely try to counter with Allen first. Again, James is younger and has a higher upside, but may prefer the established veteran in Allen to the more raw Mobley.
Those two will be the framework for any package, but the Cavaliers also include several smaller signings (George Niang, Dean Wade, Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill, Craig Porter Jr.). There is a possibility that the 20th pick could be traded. Also this year's draft. The Lakers starting the post-LeBron era with Garland, Davis, and either Mobley or Allen isn't a terrible worst-case scenario, especially if they can get more out of Cleveland.
This would be an all-in move for the Cavaliers. They will be sacrificing a significant portion of their potential future for a 1-2 year title window. Again, the alternative might be to consider what to do if (when?) Mitchell declines to sign his contract extension this offseason. In any case, there is no guarantee that this core will last beyond this year.
To be clear, James returning to the Cavaliers this summer is not the most likely scenario. He is widely expected to re-sign with the Lakers. A source told Lakers Daily's Anthony Irwin that James “loves playing in Los Angeles” and that “playing for this team will enhance his brand, especially if the team is successful.” I understand,” he said. He doesn't seem like someone who particularly wants to quit.
James may be trying to plant a subtle seed of doubt in the Lakers' minds, subtly pressuring them to take a winning swing now. But if he is legitimately interested in reuniting with Cleveland, an opt-in and trade would be the best path forward for both him and the Cavaliers.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics are NBA.com, PBP statistics, cleaning the glass or basketball reference. All salary information can be found at spot rack and salary cap information Real GM.All odds are as follows FanDuel Sportsbook.
