LeBron James is deciding where to sign for the next act of his career. The Cleveland Cavaliers hope to emerge from the multitude of suitors due to their strong connections to King James. If he rejects them and signs elsewhere, it is very likely the reason will be one person: James Harden.
Landing LeBron would be a major coup for a Cavaliers team that is otherwise planning to run the same play as last year. Other than the departing Dean Wade and Keon Ellis, the Cavaliers have kept their roster intact from last year without, to date, making any big splashes to change things up.
Cavaliers fans, of course, have suggested everything from free agent signings to draft picks to trading Evan Mobley for Jaylen Brown. Jarrett Allen, Max Strus and Dennis Schroder are all being bandied about in trade rumors. Thus far, however, Cleveland has stayed quiet.
Signing LeBron James would be a coup
Signing LeBron James would change that, of course. If he signed for the minimum, he would join a powerful core of players. If he wanted more than that, the Cavs would need to trade one or more players to free up the room. The franchise is currently stuck in limbo waiting for his decision.
A return home to Cleveland, his childhood home and the team he led to the 2016 championship, has a narrative beauty to it. He would also be joining one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference and propelling them toward a chance at reaching the NBA Finals.
The problem, however, is that a lot of other teams are bidding for LeBron's services as well. Cleveland cannot offer the most money. They cannot offer the best roster. And it may just be that the Cavaliers themselves are to blame if James decides to sign elsewhere.
LeBron has a problem with the Cavs
Friday morning, Rich Paul -- longtime friend and agent of LeBron James -- shared a whiteboard that has presumably been a part of Paul and LeBron's free agency discussions. It laid out the player cores on a number of potential landing spots, as well as other notes on teams.
The Cavaliers have a prominent spot, with their "Core 4" listed as well as names such as Dan (Gilbert), Koby (Altman) and (Brandon) Weems. Beside the names, however, is another note: "No Garland -".
Either Rich Paul or LeBron appears to view Darius Garland being off the team as a negative, and therefore a reason not to sign in Cleveland. The two-time All-Star point guard was on the Cavaliers until February's trade deadline, when Altman traded him and a second-round pick to the LA Clippers for former MVP James Harden.
If LeBron thinks the Cavaliers are worse for not having Garland, that heavily suggests he doesn't love Harden's fit as a potential teammate as much as Garland's. The on-court problems are obvious, as we noted earlier this week; there is only one basketball to go around, and Garland thrives off-ball in a way that Harden simply doesn't.
Whether it's a personal dislike of Harden -- never confused as the greatest of competitors -- or an on-court fit problem, LeBron sees the Cavaliers as a worse destination because they no longer have Garland. Add it to all of the other reasons the Cavs were wrong to make that trade, from Garland's age to his off-ball shooting to Harden's playoff failures.
Cleveland wants to bring The King home. Unfortunately, The Beard might get in the way.
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