Posted on June 25, 2018, by Travis Pulver
There has been a lot of anticipation for the start of the NBA’s free agency period this year due to the number of superstars expected to be on the market. If the rumor mill is to be believed, we could see the creation of another LeBron James-super team once the free agency dust settles. Just the possibility has had the media, fans, and bloggers working hard just to keep up with all the speculation.
But it is starting to sound like all the talk could be for nothing.
Via Flickr
Why? Because it is starting to sound like LeBron James may not be going anywhere.
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While all of the talk has had him preparing to bolt as soon as he can, according to ESPN’s Ryan Rusillo, James is trying to recruit guys to come to Cleveland:
“…I know for a fact LeBron is trying to figure out if other stars around the league wanna come play with him, but come play with him in Cleveland, first,” Russillo said. “…I just don’t know if anybody wants to go there with him.”
Rumors have circulated around the possible acquisition of Charlotte Hornets star, Kemba Walker. But the Hornets are saying he’s not going anywhere.
Like most teams, the Cavaliers are rumored to have an interest in Kawhi Leonard. With their defensive woes, Leonard could be a game-changer for the Cavaliers. But the Spurs sound like they are going to try to change Leonard’s mind about leaving. It is unlikely they’ll send him to the Lakers, the team favored to land James.
If Leonard gets traded anywhere, Boston is the more likely destination (they have more to offer).
It is starting to sound like a LeBron James-Paul George duo is probably not going to happen either—in Los Angeles or Cleveland. George has remained high on Los Angeles since getting traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. But he has also said that he would not rule out re-signing with the Thunder.
Why not? They already have a promising trio in Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and himself. They’ve played together for a season and worked a lot of the kinks out. Maybe next season will be better and they can become legitimate contenders.
If he does take that route, it sounds like he’s going to take a page out of James’ playbook. He may go with a one-year deal with a player option for the second. That way, if it doesn’t work out, he can leave next year.
He could try to get Chris Paul to join him. Rumor has it that Paul has been trying to get James to come to Houston. But if the Rockets continue to play hardball with him, he could decide to look elsewhere. But it is highly unlikely the Cavaliers would give a better deal than the Rockets.
If Paul wants to win, he’d be better off signing with the Rockets.
Since there is a distinct possibility that many of the soon to be free agent superstars are all going to stay put, it looks like we’ll have to wait until next year for another super team to form.