During an appearance on the All-NBA podcast, Marc Stein of The Stein Line noted that the Cleveland Cavaliers are currently viewed as the frontrunner to land LeBron James this summer. That’s bad news for the other teams involved: The Philadelphia 76ers, the Miami Heat, the Golden State Warriors, the Denver Nuggets, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Though all of those teams are supposedly still in the race – with the Heat, Warriors, and Sixers in the next tier – the Cavs are regarded as the team to beat. That’s great news for Cleveland, a city that would undoubtedly welcome James back for a third stint as the hometown hero.
But for the rest of the league – the rest of the teams trying to lure James to town – it’s not ideal.
Cavaliers are seen as the favorites to land LeBron James
The Cavaliers make a ton of sense as a destination for James. He’s entering the final year (or two) of his career, and joining the Cavs would give him a chance to compete for a championship.
Donovan Mitchell would be a great co-star, and James Harden could re-sign in Cleveland for less money to make room for James. Then, alongside those guys, the Cavs would still have Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and others.
Plus, James would be in the Eastern Conference. That means he wouldn’t have to go through the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs in order to make a run to the NBA Finals.
It makes plenty of sense why the rest of the league sees the Cavs as the team to beat in the James race. It’s just unfortunate news for all of the other teams that are currently involved.
The Heat would also provide a great landing place for James, as he would get to team up with Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo while returning to the city in which he won two championships.
A trip to Philadelphia would see James team up with Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe, creating one of the most stacked lineups in the NBA.
James has always wanted to play with Stephen Curry, so the Warriors make sense. And teaming up with Anthony Edwards or Nikola Jokic would work out well for James, too.
But right now, it seems as though the Cavs are leading the race. That’s what the rest of the NBA thinks. And that’s bad news for all the other teams trying to bring James to their city.
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