LeBron to Warriors? Are you kidding?
“So, Draymond, we know you really like wearing the number 23, but tough luck. We’re bringing in LeBron James, and it looks like he’s going to insist on it.”
There’s a ludicrous scenario for Warriors fans to consider, and it perfectly fits the mood after ESPN reported Wednesday night that James would consider joining Golden State when he becomes a free agent this summer.
There’s nothing necessarily wrong with the report; more than any superstar in the NBA, James is all about his options for the future. He couldn’t summarily dismiss the Warriors if they had any interest.
Well, they don’t. Surely they would accept a meeting with LeBron, out of sheer curiosity,
and I’m sure Joe Lacob has his fantasies, trotting out LeBron as his latest prize and pronouncing the James-Stephen Curry-Kevin Durant triumvirate as the greatest ever assembled. Eventually, common sense would have to prevail.
Do we really need to explain this? The Warriors have spent recent years crafting a roster of near perfection, on course to win a third title in four seasons with no end in sight. Every other team dreams of what Bob Myers, Steve Kerr and Lacob have built. The salary-cap experts tell us the Warriors would have to give up Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala in this arrangement, possibly even Draymond Green or Shaun Livingston. In that event, there goes the perfect roster, just like that, for a 33-year-old player now in his 15th NBA season.
Along the way, reportedly, Durant would have to accept less money. No chance; he has been accommodating with his financial sacrifices twice already. It took something extremely special to blend Curry and Durant into a harmonious, unstoppable package; you want to mess with their pride? Worse yet, every non-superstar on the LeBron-shaped roster would have to be signed to a minimal contract, reducing the depth to zero. But mostly, the entire mood of this historic team would be dismantled.
How about this: I’m not even sure I’d trade Thompson or Green for James straight-up. Not at this stage of their lives. Not for the utterly destructive effect it would have on the Warriors and their future.
Here’s the real story in my mind: James, in his eternal wanderlust, is crushing any chance his Cleveland Cavaliers have to get out of the Eastern Conference in this year’s playoffs. The man is all about tomorrow: Signing with the Lakers, perhaps? Maybe Houston? San Antonio or Philadelphia on the outside? It’s all in play, and he does nothing to discourage the rumors.
Put yourself in Isaiah Thomas’ place. He was traded to Cleveland (by Boston) against his will, and he’s due to receive big money on the free-agent market this year. James seems to have no use for Thomas and his questionable defense. The Cavaliers are going to need significant trades to stay afloat — right now, and in the event LeBron bails. Why would Thomas make an emotional commitment to this team? Why would Kevin Love or Tristan Thompson, two others so often mentioned in trade? And it’s all because James just can’t sit still. He sits upon the throne, peeling grapes, pondering the glory of his next stop, while his teammates plow through the rigors of distraction.
We’ve learned that LeBron is very big on legacy. Even if he picked up a couple of rings in an attempt to catch Michael Jordan (who has six, to James’ three), this would be the weakest gloryseeking move in the history of NBA superstardom. Durant took a ton of heat for his decision, but he left a long-unsatisfactory franchise to join a Warriors team that had just taken a crushing Finals loss. That looks downright noble against (if it’s true) LeBron’s spineless plan.
One of the more acerbic commentators among NBA insiders, the Ringer’s Bill Simmons, tweeted this on Thursday morning: “This ‘rumor’ is such an obvious plant by LeBron’s camp to (a) pressure the Cavs to trade that Nets (No. 1 draft) pick/players for help; (b) unsettle GSW’s chemistry, and (c) pressure the Lakers to create cap space for him/others. I can’t believe anyone took it seriously.”
That sounds about right.