Could LeBron James Join The San Antonio Spurs?

LeBron James has offered a lot of high praise towards the San Antonio Spurs. Are they a possible destination spot after he plays his contract out this year?

LeBron James is fresh off of a NBA Championship and delivering the Cleveland Cavaliers their first Larry O’Brien trophy in franchise history. He fulfilled his promise of bringing a title home to Cleveland, who was previously held without a major sports title for 52 years.

Now, James is offering praise to the San Antonio Spurs. Despite signing a new contract with the Cavs, is LeBron plotting his next destination when his contract is up?

In a weird, twisted way James could join the San Antonio Spurs, a team he has struggled to beat in the NBA Finals. His first attempt came with the Cavs in 2007, but Cleveland was swept. James would avenge that loss in 2013 with the Miami Heat, winning the Larry O’Brien trophy in seven games. In 2014, the aging Spurs got revenge by defeating the Heat in five games.

Joining the Spurs would be similar to Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors, a team he couldn’t beat with the Oklahoma City Thunder. According to an interview with Business Insider‘s Alyson Shontell, James believes Durant joining the Warriors is “great” for the league.

Perhaps that comment opens the door for James to join a team that he has struggled against in the NBA Finals.

LeBron has given high praise to young Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard touting him as the player who best defends him when asked on the Open Run podcast.

"“Kawhi Leonard,” James said when asked who defends him best. “Kawhi Leonard, he’s solid. He’s solid, solid at that end of the floor. He’s very, very solid. I like him. I like the kid.”"

Leonard is the two-time defending NBA Defensive Player of the Year and will attempt to defend that title this season. He also averaged a career high 21.2 points per game last season. There’s a lot to love about Leonard’s game, and all players should have a desire to play with him.

James, 31, left the door open for a return to the Olympics in 2020 with USA Basketball. As head coach Mike Krzyzewski celebrates his final gold medal and game with the organization, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will take over as the national team’s head coach.

"“It would be pretty amazing to be able to actually play for the greatest NBA coach of all time,” James said of Gregg Popovich, according to the USA Today."

It’s hard to look two years out for many NBA fans because of the sweeping change by this year’s hike in salary cap space, however James could opt-out of his three-year contract and become a free agent in the summer of 2018. He could make $35.6 million with the Cavs in 2018-19, which would be hard to pass up, but the options are limitless during that summer.

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James has previously stated his desire to play with friends Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade (again) and Carmelo Anthony with Bleacher Report‘s Howard Beck. If he opts-out, they could all be free agents together during the 2018 season.

James could also join the Spurs, who only have Leonard on a guaranteed contract for that year. That also means that his friends could join him in San Antonio, to create the ultimate super team to potentially rival that of the Warriors.

The opportunities are limitless for James, as he will be welcomed wherever he decides to play. He may be declining at age 34, but for now he still believes that he is on the rise, according to ESPN. That could be the case, considering he has been working on his jumper this offseason.

It’s possible to be reading too much into these comments. As LeBron James has shown in the past, he knows how to stay focused on the task at hand, which is defending the Cavs’ NBA Championship. But it’s hard to refute the opportunities he has down the line, especially with the San Antonio Spurs.