In the years since debuting in 2003, LeBron James has emerged as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In his 11 years in the league, James is a three-time NBA champion, three-time Finals MVP, and four-time MVP. He’s also been named to six All-Defensive teams, 13 All-NBA squads, and now a 14-time All-Star, two of which was the MVP.
Now, in his final season before hitting free agency, James is faced with a tough choice. Will he break Cleveland’s heart for the second time in his career and sign with a contending team? Or, will King James stay loyal to his people and fight to bring the Cavaliers another championship in 2019?
And after seeing the report put out early Thursday morning by Chris Haynes that James “could meet with Golden State during free agency“, it’s appears as if the superstar will choose the former and The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson gave Gary & Larry his thoughts on the 33-year-old power forward’s future.
“If he goes to Houston, that’s legit,” Thompson said. “Houston is already a legitimate contender. So, you add LeBron into the mix and you got yourself a power struggle in the West.”
With the Warriors being the near unstoppable force that they’ve been the last three seasons, teams such as the Rockets, who are also stacked with a talented roster, have been held back from anything close to a championship. Even by acquiring Chris Paul last offseason, Houston is still considered the underdogs to Golden State in the Western Conference.
Yet, if they can maneuver their finances by trading away players; such as Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, or P.J. Tucker, who will be the highest-paid players on Houston’s roster behind James Harden next season, and resign Paul to a contract that doesn’t fill up their payroll, the Rockets could have a serious shot at signing James this offseason.
“They got a few guys who are making good money,” Thompson said. “Would you mind getting rid of a Trevor Ariza and Eric Gordon to do it? Ryan Anderson is making a ton of money and nobody would cry if he leaves. They have a few pieces they can move to make room for LeBron if they wanted to and they want to.”
Let’s not forget, if you’re a team that’s looking to dethrone the Warriors, wouldn’t you want someone on your team who’s done it once before? Although he was sent home empty handed by the Warriors on two occasions, James took one from Golden State in the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.
“If you have LeBron, Chris Paul, and James Harden, you can figure out the rest,” Thompson said.
To listen to the full interview check out the podcast below, and start from the beginning for Thompson on James.