LeBron James would be open to meeting with the Warriors in free agency

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-lebron-james-open-meeting-warriors-free-agency-144609259.html



Report: LeBron James would be open to meeting with the Warriors in free agency



Ben Rohrbach, Yahoo Sports



Feb 1, 2018, 6:46 AM





LeBron James embraces the Warriors. (AP)



This is so dumb. I can’t believe I have to write this, but LeBron James would be open to meeting with the Golden State Warriors in free agency if they could clear max cap space, per ESPN’s Chris Haynes.

This would be the worst possible move for LeBron’s legacy and a massive blow to the NBA’s credibility all at once, and yet the four-time MVP “would listen,” Haynes reported, citing league sources, “out of respect for the Warriors’ winning culture,” led by general manager Bob Myers and coach Steve Kerr.

For their part, the Warriors have shown no interest in pursuing James, according to Haynes, but hey, I guess if one of the greatest players in basketball history wants to join perennial MVP candidates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant on your team, you probably wouldn’t turn down a meeting, right?

The Warriors have $127 million in salary committed to eight players next season, and they would exceed the projected $101 million salary cap even if Kevin Durant declined his $26.25 million player option. Any attempt to clear max cap space would require completely restructuring a team that already is the heavy favorite to win its third title in four years. Of course, it’s also not impossible.

ESPN’s Kevin Pelton concocted a scenario in which the Warriors send Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade for James in addition to convincing Durant to take an even bigger paycut and shipping Shaun Livingston to a team with cap space. That would leave Curry, Durant, James and Draymond Green to play with rookies and anyone on the veteran minimum who wants to go along for the ride to an easy championship. Because nobody is beating that team.

If I’m Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, I would rather disembowel myself than facilitate a deal that ships LeBron to Golden State, even if Thompson is the reward, so let’s just say this is the longest of shots.

Maybe there’s a part of LeBron so desperate to catch Michael Jordan’s six rings that he would consider forming a super-superteam to secure what would basically be three guaranteed titles, but nobody would take him seriously at that point. A lot of people already believe he chased the first two in Miami, and joining the Warriors would increase that faction of fans to everyone outside the Bay Area.

And by the time the novelty of seeing a superpower team compete against the NBA dregs wore off after a year, I’m not sure how many people would stick around to watch him storm to his sixth ring.

The only way this isn’t the dumbest storyline in NBA history is if LeBron tells the Warriors he wants to join them, they get Durant to take less money, send Livingston to another team, and then offer the sign-and-trade to Cleveland — only to see James enact his no-trade clause, weakening Golden State in the short-term and destroying their relationship with Thompson and Iguodala moving forward.

Now that I’d like to see. The other part, where James entertains joining the Warriors, I pray this is the last we ever write about it.




bob
MY NOTE:  If this were to happen it would be the worst possible thing for the league.  I'm hoping it's like what Aldridge did with the Lakers are few years back, where he met with them twice, out of respect for Kobe, but never had a strong desire to sign there. The good news is that I don't see any way that GSW would send Thompson and Iggy to Cleveland for LeBron. Thompson is a 28 year old all-star and LeBron is 33. I know Thompson isn't LeBron but LeBron isn't in his prime anymore neither. From the Celtics' perspective, I would love that trade. Gut a championship team to bring on a player who will be 34 <2 months into next season. That would shrink GSW's championshiop window by several years while ours is opening up. They would be beginning their downward trajectory as ours would be going upwards.  



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Makes sense from James' standpoint, of course.

1. He wants titles to add to his legacy.

2. They want titles, and James, still a physical freak of nature, looks to have a few more super-productive years in him.

3. They can structure the roster to pay him at least what he needs, and still be top-line competitive.

All of that being true, my bet is he stays in Cleveland for the duration.

And here's an article that echoes BobH's take...


The drunken fantasy of speculative LeBron to Warriors rumors

Ray Ratto

NBC Sports BayArea•Feb 01, 2018 11:35 AM

https://sports.yahoo.com/drunken-fantasy-speculative-lebron-warriors-163524937.html?src=rss

Sometimes I hate us as much as you hate us. Us, being the Amalgamated Sports Fantasists Of North America.

ESPN's Chris Haynes, who is good at his job (I need to point that just so you don't decide otherwise based on this) reported through the ubiquitous "league sources" that the Golden State Warriors COULD create a max salary slot in hopes of acquiring James.

Yes they could. If they've decided to destroy themselves on a bar bet.

To do so, of course, they would have to inherit a player on the back end of a glorious career who likes to run things and doesn't do well with authority (like Dan Gilbert, just to name one), and do so while getting rid of Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and/or Draymond Green and Shaun Livingston, plus house the rest of their roster with minimum salaries, and convince Kevin Durant to take another pay cut. Then they'd have to convince James' people to take a meeting with them, which would happen because the Warriors have such an exemplary front office and culture.

This, then, is idiocy of the first magnitude, something that Joe Lacob and Bob Myers should consider only if they have conspired to have their brains replaced by turnips. In fact, it sounds like an editor (and/or producer) having an idea that should have died a hideous death somewhere between cerebrum and larynx.

The story, which Haynes makes clear is entirely speculative, merely says it could happen, which is not really a standard as much as it is a drunken fantasy – a closing time drunken fantasy. But the Warriors would have to tear down one of the truly special teams in American sports history while using it as bait to get someone who would radically change that culture.

Haynes covers that with his second paragraph: "There is no indication that Golden State is evaluating such options to acquire the Cleveland Cavaliers star at this time."

There is no indication of that because the Warriors are not actually a pack of self-destructive morons. They used to be – hell, they used to be the poster for it – but those days are, at least temporarily, over.

Even the act of considering this as something other than an act of insanity would end the franchise as we understand it. The Warriors would consider nearly anything for, say, Anthony Davis, though it is hard to imagine them undercutting Durant to do so. But James is such a radical change from all the things they hold dear – namely, collaboration through minimal agenda-mongering – that even holding such a meeting would serve as sufficient damage.

It isn't that James shouldn't be coveted, even by the Warriors. But coveting also takes place in the mind, which is where such a notion would surely stop. The Warriors truly are the one team that could not use James and all that having him entails. They are making their stand with the best amalgamation of talent since the ‘80s Celtics and Lakers, and by all accounts they have resisted the lure of the pecking order. That would all die in one fell swoop.

And if so, the Warriors would stop being worth its army of acolytes caring about. Having LeBron James would be about acquisition for acquisition's sake, and while it makes for fun speculation at 1:30 a.m. between beers 13 and 14, it is also why we hate us.

And why we are right to do so.

Sounds like a real desperation remark by James. And....why in the heck would Durant take another pay cut (he has already said he wants to get paid next time around), when Steph Curry took no pay cut an is making a ridiculous amount of money.

There is only one basketball, I think this would be so bad for the NBA in general. I see teams losing fans and the NBA losing big time. Who wants to watch a team like that???

This could be a LeBron seeing his mortality and trying to hitch his train to an already dynamic team. I pray this does not happen, it will be terrible for the league.

There is already an imbalance in the NBA.  If James goes to Golden State it would serve him well but it would also undermine competition.  Golden State is a heavy tax payer and will remain one for a while.

From James' perspective he is no Spring chicken and does not have enough years remaining to be on a team that is going through any type of rebuilding process.  The Cavs will need more than a few tweaks to get back to a championship level.  The only viable trade option would be to move Kevin Love.  Who wants him?  IT is not likely to replicate his 2016-17 season ever again.  It was historical.  They are in a no win situation.  If you resign IT it will only serve to keep their CAP limitation around longer.  If you let him walk you would have traded Irving for an average SF in Crowder and a draft pick that is unlikely to make a big impact for a few years.  Whichever way they go it will look like a rebuild.  I think James leaves after this season unless they make it back to the finals.

And where is he headed?? LA or Philadelphia???

For starters, the numbers would have to add up. Golden State could offer to trade for LeBron, provided he's willing to waive his no-trade clause.

Klay, Green, and some rotation players would most likely be gone in this instance. I can't say for sure that LeBron, at 33, is worth that. Bron will also shorten their championship window.

As far as competition is concerned, I don't think anything is a given. We don't know for sure if that team would dominate the same way.


KJ

If that's not asking for a beat down in the playoffs from the basketball gods, I don't know what is.

The Cavs are struggling. Love is out for a month or two. Isaiah is still trying to find his game.

That's got to be the worst thing I've ever heard about a superstar. In midseason he is already admitting he has one foot outside the door. And that is after he has ruined Cleveland's cap situation.

LeBron James is clearly worried about his lack of titles. He made a fool of himself predicting a dynasty in Miami. He should have beaten Dallas, but he and Wade got too full of themselves. Pride cometh before the fall or something.

I don't mind being convivial on this forum. I do not feel convivial towards LeBron James. He has hurt the game. I root for the Celtics. If not them, I'll go for Toronto. Some match ups are very difficult to pick sides. It's painful to say I might have to root for Golden State if Cleveland somehow makes it to the finals. I'll root for San Antonio. Anyone but LeBron. I hate Lebron more than I love Isaiah. But now with LeBron sending out love signals to Golden State, I'm not too worried about the Cavs. Toronto is the team to respect.