Rumor: LeBron James wasn’t expecting big deals at trade deadline

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - FEBRUARY 13: Jordan Clarkson
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - FEBRUARY 13: Jordan Clarkson /
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LeBron James didn’t expect any big deals for the Cleveland Cavaliers at the trade deadline.

Once upon a time, LeBron James was seen as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ de facto general manager. Any free agent or trade acquisition brought to Cleveland was a player seen as someone who was only there because James gave the front office his blessing on said player. Consequentially, James is perceived as an omniscient force on the sidelines. A player slash coach slash general manager.

Yet, according to TNT analyst David Aldridge, that was far from the case this season:

"James, per sources, wasn’t expecting huge deals by the Cavs at the deadline, maybe a small one or two, before being informed the night before the deadline that there were big possibilities in the pipeline."

While the Cleveland Cavaliers certainly cater to James’ desires in most, if not all their personnel decisions, it’s moreso a byproduct of their attempt to appease the greatest player of the generation than James outright demanding specific players be signed.

This season, James was notably one of a select few inside the Cavaliers organization on-board with the Dwyane Wade signing. He was involved in the recruitment of Jeff Green and Derrick Rose this summer (along with Jamal Crawford, who opted to join the Minnesota Timberwolves).

Last season, he infamously called-out the front office and more or less demanded that the team get both a playmaker and an additional big man. After former general manager David Griffin and head coach Tyronn Lue talked to James about calling out the team and front office publicly, with Griffin disagreeing with James  on the need for a big man as well, they acquiesced. Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut (who was replaced by Larry Sanders and then Edy Tavares) were then signed.

In the summer of 2015, James refused to re-sign until Tristan Thompson, then a restricted free agent, was re-signed. He put pressure on the Cavs to re-sign J.R. Smith, who signed with James’ agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.

"“We just miss him. We miss having him around. He’s a big piece of our team and they just need to get it done.”"

Smith is a player that James wanted. Dion Waiters, who used to start at shooting guard and was unwilling to bend to James’ will, was not. Waiters was then traded.

That’s a situation similar to The Return, when James’ letter listed the young Cavs he was excited to work with but notably left of then-rookie Andrew Wiggins, the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

"I see myself as a mentor now and I’m excited to lead some of these talented young guys. I think I can help Kyrie Irving become one of the best point guards in our league. I think I can help elevate Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. And I can’t wait to reunite with Anderson Varejao, one of my favorite teammates."

Wiggins was then traded to the Timberwolves for All-Star power forward Kevin Love, who James helped recruit to the Land that summer.

All that said, this year has been different from years past. Up until recently, the communication from the front office was lacking. James, who used to be looped into the fold consistently was now clueless.

Was it because of a new direction the Cavs were going in, led by team owner Dan Gilbert?

Was new general manager Koby Altman up for a job that required him to stand tall in Griffin’s shadow?

Nobody knew. Not even James. Aldridge’s sources are likely spot-on in their account of the trade deadline given that multiple reports had cited a disconnect from James and the front office that didn’t exist in prior seasons.

The only question about when James knew is if it became before or after the postgame celebration that saw him downright ignore malcontent point guard Isaiah Thomas the night before the deadline.

Altman knew Thomas had to be traded far before then, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, with the deal sending him to the Los Angeles Lakers agreed upon on the eve of the trade deadline.

In any case, with Altman becoming much more of a presence in the organization and earning national respect for a flurry of moves that hasn’t been matched by the team in a decade, James will likely be kept in the loop from now on.

According to Griffin, James has never been the primary decision-maker and believes the assertion he is is unfair to both James and the front-office. Griffin is right as there’s a technical side to the business that James isn’t a part of. However, his support of the Cavaliers is necessary should they want to re-sign him.

Moving forward, especially if James re-signs, it will be interesting to monitor how ‘in-the-know’ he is regarding the Cavs’ moves.

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