NBA Rumors: Do the New York Knicks Have a Shot at Signing LeBron James This Summer?
James is widely expected to be courted by numerous teams once he officially becomes a free agent
Back in the summer of 2010, LeBron James made one of the biggest and most influential decisions in NBA history, as he chose to sign with the Miami Heat over returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers or going to other big-market teams like the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks.
That decision worked out for James, as he led the Heat to the NBA Finals four times, and even won two titles along the way.
Following his stint in Miami, James opted to return home to Cleveland, and in his second year back with the team, he finally won that long-elusive championship for the city.
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This summer, James will again have to make another decision regarding where he will play next, and even months away from free agency officially getting underway, there are already teams being linked to the man they call "King."
Teams like the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and of course, the Cavaliers have all been mentioned as candidates to sign James, but there may be another franchise looking to get into the mix.
In a recent article for the New York Daily News, noted NBA insider Frank Isola pointed out something interesting about the people that have been mentioned as candidates for the Knicks' head coaching job should the franchise decide not to bring back Jeff Hornacek.
As Isola noted, the rumored candidates — David Blatt, Dave Fizdale, Mark Jackson, Doc Rivers and Jerry Stackhouse — all have links to James.
The Knicks pursued James before and came up short, so maybe they are hoping that having a coach who knows James can help them at least get a meeting with the future Hall of Famer.
James will probably consider who's coaching a team before he chooses to sign with that particular franchise, but that's likely not the most important factor for him.
At 33-years-old, James knows that he needs other players around him who can provide support on both ends of the floor. Kristaps Porzingis can be that all-around player who helps James on offense and defense, but beyond him, the Knicks' roster does not feature any other stellar two-way talents.
It won't be easy for the Knicks to bring in other free agents who could help out James as well because they already have plenty of money tied to their current roster. If they want to offload some money, they will likely need to give up draft picks, and that could hurt them in the long run.
The Knicks could dangle the lottery pick they are going to get for this upcoming draft in the hopes of acquiring a veteran running mate for James, but it's unclear how interested other teams may be in that selection since it's probably going to land well outside of the top five.
Even if the Knicks hire a coach who can connect with James and who the multi-time MVP will want to play for, that alone may not be enough to lure the "King" to New York, especially when other franchises can present him with better situations to join.
