LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers with nothing but bad options and a looming sense of doom.
It was always a possibility that James would choose a team different than the Cavaliers. An unrestricted free agent after eight years with the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron has been considering a number of destinations for what could be his final chapter. Even when that list was narrowed to five or six teams, Cleveland always felt like the frontrunner.
They had the hometown connection - he spent his first week of free agency in Akron, spending time with friends and family. They had the personal relationships, including employing one of his closest friends in executive Brandon Weems. They had the shared history -- five trips to the NBA Finals, the only championship in franchise history.
Where else would LeBron choose to end his incredible career? The storybook ending of returning home always seemed to be a magnetic pull that he would be unable to resist.
Until, of course, he did.
LeBron shocked everyone
Even so, choosing Philadelphia seems the most shocking choice of all. Miami offered a superstar team-up and a familiar locale. Golden State offered his friends and proximity to Los Angeles. Even Minnesota and Denver had their on-court appeals.
Philadelphia? That's a shocking one. He is trusting in Joel Embiid's health and that a team heavy on ball hogs and light on shooting is the right mix to compete with. That has never been the case in his past; can it work now?
The Cavaliers are reeling
Whether it does or not is their problem; Cleveland has plenty of its own to grapple with. After the 76ers took Dean Wade away earlier in the offseason, the Cavs have a roster that is worse than last season, when they scraped their way to the Eastern Conference Finals but were merely the No. 4 seed.
Their backup plans have reportedly included names like Jonathan Kuminga and Mario Hezonja, hardly a reassuring bunch. If they were going to push in their assets for a big trade they would have done so already to bring in LeBron; that they didn't is a glaring alarm that they somehow think this group will be good enough.
Now they will re-sign James Harden to a large contract after locking in Donovan Mitchell on a massive extension. Their standing in the East is fourth again at best, and likely more like sixth or seventh. That's not good enough, and a season of that level could lead to disaster next summer.
What do the Cavaliers do if they are a mediocre team locked into massive contracts for Harden, MItchell and Mobley? The latter two are under contract for a very long time; a poor Cleveland team can't alter its fate with such massive deals locked into place. And soon, moving on from Mitchell might be close to impossible.
LeBron James could have changed their fate. Adding a player of his caliber, even at 41 years old, could have given them a real chance in the Eastern Conference. Now they will run back a group that was not good enough last year and got worse. Harden is only going to be older. This is not going to work.
LeBron was the lifeline they needed. He rejected them. And now the possibility of a bad season looms over them, bringing with it despair and dread. As the 76ers get better, the Cavaliers get worse, and disaster awaits.
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