Report: Cavs ‘convinced’ LeBron would not leave Cleveland again
Report: Cavs ‘convinced’ LeBron would not leave Cleveland again
By Steve DelVecchio
LeBron James made the decision to return to the Cavaliers last summer to fulfill a promise he made over a decade ago — bringing a championship to the city of Cleveland. He wouldn’t leave his hometown fans high and dry a second time, would he?
Earlier this offseason, LeBron once again signed a two-year deal with a player option that allows him to opt out after the first. He did the same last summer. In addition to assuring he gets his hands on as much of the new television money that is coming to the NBA in the future as possible, that gives James a bargaining chip with the Cavs to make sure they’re assembling a team that satisfies him before he re-signs.
“The bigger question is why are the Cavs rolling the dice here when LeBron James can also become a free agent next summer and has already made it clear that he believes Thompson should be a Cav for life,” Bucher said recently. “I’m told that, privately, the Cavaliers are convinced that LeBron cannot afford to break Cleveland’s hearts a second time and leave and, therefore, does not have the leverage that everybody supposes he has in signing short-term deals.”
I concur.
If LeBron wins a championship in Cleveland, it would be one of the greatest redemption stories in sports history. If he leaves again, he will be remembered as a villain.