The Cleveland Cavaliers are teetering on the edge of elimination, with an offseason of hard decisions awaiting them. Thankfully, an easy decision is also on the horizon: if LeBron James is ready to return home, trading for Bronny James to join him is a no-brainer.
If someone proposes that they know what this summer holds for Cleveland, they are either lying or a witch. It might be worth weighing them against a duck to make sure. It is possible big changes will be coming, but it's impossible to know what they will be.
Will the Cavaliers blow it up? That's on the table if Donovan Mitchell doesn't agree to an extension. Evan Mobley could be traded for a superstar. James Harden will be a free agent. Jarrett Allen could be on the chopping block. Max Strus could be trade fodder; Denis Schroder is no one's idea of a reliable option, but may not be tradeable on his contract. Anything is possible.
Is LeBron James coming home?
The player everyone will be watching is, of course, LeBron James. The Akron native is by far the greatest player in franchise history and will himself be a free agent this summer. He may return to the Los Angeles Lakers, or perhaps try to team up with Stephen Curry for one final run.
A return home is also in the cards. There are some major hurdles to such a reunion, of course. How much money will James demand on his contract, considering both that this is likely his final season in the league and he will be 42 years old? Can Cleveland sign him outright, or will they need to trade players to the Lakers for him?
Those are big questions to answer. The small hurdle, however, should be much easier: will LeBron want his son to play with him?
The Cavaliers should trade for Bronny James
If the answer is yes, trading for Bronny should be a no-brainer. The Lakers drafted him almost entirely as a favor to LeBron, but to his credit he has improved over the last couple of seasons and played real playoff minutes this season. He is no longer merely a throwaway player; Thanasis Antetokounmpo he is not.
The Lakers will require something in return, but they also have built themselves up as the friend to star players and won't make it punitive for Cleveland to honor LeBron's request. A second-round pick, or Craig Porter Jr. would likely get the deal done. It would give the Cavs a backup wing and a happy quadragenarian.
It would obviously be special for Bronny to play near his family's hometown, the place where he was born and spent chunks of his childhood. And to be there with a front row seat for his father's retirement tour. Fans of the Cavaliers would certainly enjoy rooting for their hometown prince, as well.
There are a lot of unknowns about this offseason -- what LeBron will do, what the Cavaliers will do with their roster, what Donovan Mitchell will do with an extension. The one easy decision is that if LeBron does want to come back home, Bronny James should be allowed to come with him.
Add us as a preferred source on Google