If you haven’t heard by now, LeBron James can opt out of his contract and test free agency after this season. It has been one of the biggest discussions in the NBA for obvious reasons, James can single-handedly turn the league on its head by making virtually any team an instant Finals contender. He’s still the most dominate player in the league and we saw his raw ability last night when he went into full bully mode on the Wizards, leading his Cavs back from 17 down halfway through the fourth quarter (he finished with 33, 14, and 9). James is the number one free agent on every teams’ board, they’d be stupid not to go after him. And James would be stupid if he didn’t opt out. He will be receiving the max money anywhere he goes, why not make the Cavs pay the premium to try to keep him?
His decisions of late have been very clear, he’s chasing titles and having the contract flexibility to move around keeps him in the best position possible. This desire for flexibility has allowed fan bases all over the country to start recruiting. New York is the latest city to join the race. They followed in the footsteps of Cleveland, Akron, Los Angeles, and Portland and put up a huge billboard aimed at the King. A new billboard went up on 31st and 7th Ave in Knicks blue and orange reading, “King of New York? PROVE IT. #KINGJAMESNYC18”
Now I’m a New Yorker and Knicks fan through and through. I would love to see LeBron come save the Knicks. Put him with Porzingis and get a point guard and they’ll be off and running. And who doesn’t want to play in New York. The Garden will always be the Mecca of basketball. LeBron knows that too well, he averages 28.5 ppg at MSG and has gone off for 50 twice. But realistically, I don’t think the Knicks have enough to offer currently to woe James. They are still a piece or two away from being a respectable supporting cast for the King. I think Los Angeles is probably the front runner currently, but who knows? All we know is that LeBron will go where he damn-well pleases, and that that team will instantly be a favorite to win it all.