Is LeBron James set to leave the Los Angeles Lakers and rejoin the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer? One man in the Cleveland area thinks so. He called into ESPN Cleveland and claimed that, as a former owner of a local bakery, former NBA player Charles Oakley told him that James is “95% coming to Cleveland.”
Oakley then told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson that he does know the man who made that claim and that he did say “it looked great” for LeBron coming back to the Cavs. Robinson reported that the team has a blueprint for bringing the 41-year-old back home to Northeast Ohio.
“Reports suggesting that James is demanding a max extension from Cleveland to facilitate a return were flatly dismissed by a respected league fixture,” Robinson wrote.
“The Cavaliers have zero intention of signing James to a max contract at this stage of his career. Instead, the organization is hopeful that he would either sign for the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (TPMLE) or arrive via a coordinated sign-and-trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“For a homecoming to actually manifest, the Cavaliers have a highly specific, multi-layered financial strategy they must execute with absolute precision. The foundational domino in this plan relies entirely on James Harden’s upcoming financial decision. Harden is expected to opt out of his player option and restructure a more team-friendly, lower annual-value deal to remain in Cleveland. The moment that restructured contract is finalized, it will successfully pull the Cavaliers under the salary cap, clearing the initial runway for the front office to make their move.
“Once that cap space is unlocked, Cleveland’s front office will immediately turn its attention to the trade market the second free agency officially opens. The first order of business requires using the Dean Wade lever, meaning the Cavs would have to immediately move the forward in a sign-and-trade scenario as soon as the clock strikes midnight.
“However, moving Wade is only half of the equation needed to shed the necessary salary weight. In addition to that initial move, Cleveland would be required to execute a separate, secondary deal to ship out Max Strus. Only after clearing both of these multi-year contracts off the books will the Cavaliers possess the exact financial flexibility required to realistically bring LeBron James back to Ohio.”
The Cavaliers are currently slammed against the second apron of the NBA’s salary cap, which acts as a hard cap ceiling. The steps Robinson outlines would trim their payroll and put them in position to make major moves, whether that means acquiring James or possibly even trading for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
One league source feels the Cavs, as it stands, are poised to acquire James if James wants to join them.
“Unless the Lakers offer him max money, which it currently doesn’t look like they will, the Cavs have a chance to sign him,” the source said, per Robinson.
But even if those steps pan out, one would have to question whether the Cavs’ roster would be great enough to win the championship. The team just got destroyed in four straight games by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, and among other things, its porous backcourt defense got exposed.
New York repeatedly targeted James Harden and exploited his matador defense. To make matters worse, for the umpteenth time in his career, Harden played poorly in big playoff games. He shot 41% from the field and 29.9% from 3-point range in this year’s postseason, and in the series versus New York, he had almost as many turnovers (17) as he had made baskets (21). In the 130-93 Game 4 clincher, the Knicks held Harden to 12 points on 2-of-8 shooting and forced him into five turnovers.
A Cleveland trio of James, Harden and Donovan Mitchell wouldn’t be any better defensively than the Lakers’ star trio of James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Cleveland finished 15th in defensive rating during the regular season.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Reporter outlines blueprint for LeBron James to return to Cavaliers
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
