James uneasy about Cavs’ inaction
LeBron James, the NBA’s most powerful player and biggest star who brought the Cleveland Cavaliers their first championship, is concerned about the franchise’s offseason, a person close to the situation told USA TODAY Sports.
Expecting an aggressive approach that would close the gap on the champion Golden State Warriors, James soon found his anticipation and optimism diminished after Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert dismantled the front office, declining days before the draft and free agency to bring back general manager David Griffin and vice president of basketball operations Trent Redden.
Gilbert’s decision left the Cavs without their top two front office execs at a critical time, and it left James frustrated and concerned about the team’s ability to put together a roster that can better compete with Golden State, the person with direct knowledge of James’ thinking told USA TODAY Sports. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.
James can become a free agent after the 2017- 18 season, and it doesn’t take a wild imagination to see him elsewhere— especially if he thinks there’s a better opportunity for him to win a championship with another team. The Los Angeles Lakers are mentioned as a possibility, with James recruiting another star to join a young and talented core for the 2018- 19 season.
Further exacerbating James’ frustration is the Cavs were close to making a deal for Chicago Bulls All- Star Jimmy Butler the day Gilbert decided to part ways with Griffin and Redden, two people familiar with the negotiations told USA TODAY Sports. They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the negotiations.
As the Cavs try to regain the throne and with one season left before James can become a free agent next July, it’s clear that franchise- altering consequences are at stake.
Powering this speculation about James and his future is Gilbert’s handling of the front office.
The Cavs missed out on bringing Chauncey Billups in to run the front office. When Gilbert announced Griffin would not be back, he said in a statement, “We are confident our current front office will continue to aggressively explore and pursue opportunities to improve our team in the weeks ahead.”
According to a person familiar with the front office, Gilbert is continuing the process of evaluating the leadership roles, structure and potential candidates. He thinks the current group has been impressive and done a very good job in the short term as they have continued to take important steps to position the team for success. Gilbert is confident this process will result in creating the strong leadership the team needs and expects, the person told USA TODAY Sports on Monday. The person was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue and requested anonymity.
Gilbert is paying nearly $ 210 million in salaries/ luxury taxes for next season.
The Houston Rockets acquired Chris Paul. The Boston Celtics got Gordon Hayward. The Minnesota Timberwolves traded for Butler and signed free agents Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson and Jamal Crawford. The Cavs re- signed Kyle Korver and signed Jose Calderon and Jeff Green during free agency.
At 32, James wants to win now. Given Cleveland’s salary cap situation that prevents it from unlimited spending, James is realistic about what’s possible, and that’s why he wonders why the Cavs went into a critical period without veteran front office execs in place.
James enjoys living in the moment, and 2017- 18 is his focus.
But is Gilbert doing what’s necessary to build a team that can beat the Golden StateWarriors and win another title?
The answer to that question will have a long- term impact on the Cavaliers.