Dwyane Wade has been considered LeBron James’ right hand man for some time now, so when he talks about James’ looming unrestricted free agency, it’s best to listen. Wade made it crystal clear he has no idea what LeBron’s actual thinking is, but in an appearance on Fox Sports Radio’s Chris Mannix and Caron Butler Show, he wasn’t sure whether basketball was The King’s top priority moving forward.
“I don’t think it’s a basketball thing,” Wade said. “I mean obviously he’s shown this year he can get to the Finals no matter what the circumstances are. I don’t really think, for him, the basketball decision of saying, ‘Oh, let me go team up with three all-stars,’ I think at this point in his life it’s more so of a lifestyle thing of, ‘Where my family is going to be the most comfortable’ or ‘where I’m going be the most happiest at.’ Because basketball-wise, he’s so great he can bring along and take along whomever.”
Can it really not be a basketball thing?
Of course. James has given himself to the game of basketball for the past 15 years — and that’s only at the pro level. He’s dedicated himself to his craft since well before high school.
James has checked virtually every box there is in his NBA career: become the best player on the planet, bring a championship to Cleveland, win multiple championships, and become one of the greatest players of all-time. He even has Olympic gold medals to show for his time.
Wade is right. At this point, it doesn’t matter who is on his team. James took THIS Cavaliers team to the NBA Finals. The grass is greener on so many other sides. His family could be happy in Cleveland, but would they be happier in a bigger market like New York, Los Angeles, or even back down in South Beach? And what does the next phase of James’ post-basketball career look like? Those are questions he needs to answer now. He’s 35 years old.
But of course, there’s the basketball side
We’ve always considered James to be chasing championships, and the odds of that happening in Cleveland are slim-to-none. The Cavaliers have a difficult pathway to improving the roster, and an injured Celtics team took them to seven games. What happens when Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward are healthy?
But even Wade admitted he wasn’t sure
Wade said it himself. He has absolutely no inside information about James’ decision-making process. What if tying and/or eclipsing Michael Jordan’s six championship rings means more to him than we think?
So where is James going to go?
NOBODY KNOWS! We never know, especially not with LeBron, until he announces the decision himself. There will be listicle after listicle, and thinkpiece after thinkpiece, detailing each of his options and weighing the pros and cons of different situations.
There are a few options for James in free agency if he wants to compete for a ring, and if he shlepped this rag-tag Cavs team to the Finals, he can probably make a legitimate run out West, if he has shooters and talent around him.
The Lakers come to mind as a team that can create cap space for two max players, then trade for another all-star. The Pelicans would also be an interesting fit. So would the 76ers.
But the reality is this: Only LeBron — not Wade — can make this decision. And if family and lifestyle matter most to him, then he’ll make the decision accordingly.
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