LeBron James to Lakers a 'Long Shot,' Teaming Up With Chris Paul 'Overstated'
Will LeBron James leave the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Los Angeles Lakers next offseason?
Well, league sources seem to think it's a long shot right now, per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst, but the possibility remains. Sources also said that James' desire to team up with Chris Paul was just an "overstated assumption."
As Shelburne and Windhorst have noted in their report, the four-time National Basketball Association (NBA) most valuable player (MVP) won't be making a decision early in the season. James is likely to stay in Cleveland if the Cavaliers remain the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. However, the threat of him leaving becomes a real possibility if they fail to return to the finals this season.
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That's why the Cavaliers are unwilling to part ways with the draft pick they got from the Boston Celtics in the Kyrie Irving trade.
"They're not talking about that pick. That's the Plan B for the LeBron stuff and from what I know, they don't want to budge on it," an unnamed general manager told Sporting News.
The aforementioned pick is the Brooklyn Nets' first-round selection in the 2018 draft and it is very valuable since it's expected to land near the top of the lottery.
One league executive seems to think the Cavaliers may consider trading the pick if they can acquire a player who can help them win a title this season. The problem is that such a player may not be available for trade this season.
"The only way they trade that would be a transformational player, someone who can help them win a championship. I don't think there is necessarily a player like that out there, at least not what's been talked about so far. But you're not going to deal away your chance at a top player in this draft for the right to lose to the Warriors again," the executive said, according to Sporting News.
One thing seems clear, though. The Cavaliers will have to make it to the finals if they want James to stay in their team.
