The Cleveland Cavaliers made one pick in the NBA Draft Thursday night, and the player they took happens to be one that LeBron James and his camp are reportedly enamored with. Does that give the Cavs a better chance at re-signing LeBron in the coming weeks?
Apparently not.
Ken Berger of Bleacher Report reached out to several executives around the NBA following the draft to ask them if the Cavs drafting Colin Sexton matters to LeBron, and there was definitive consensus.
The answers were swift, decisive and—as late character actor Lane Smith famously declared in My Cousin Vinny—I-DENTICAL.
“Nope.”
However, Berger went on to note that the Cavs did not take LeBron’s opinion into consideration when making the No. 8 overall selection. Even if James is intrigued by the possibility of playing with Sexton, Cleveland knew giving LeBron his way in the draft would not be nearly enough in and of itself to convince him to stay.
Berger also reports that the Cavs have continued to explore the possibility of acquiring Kemba Walker in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets, but their best chance to complete a deal like that would have been with a package centered around the No. 8 pick.
Although most people seem convinced LeBron is going to leave Cleveland again, Cavs GM Koby Altman insist the team has had “good dialogue” with the four-time NBA MVP.
Koby Altman on LeBron James: “We continue to have good dialogue with his management team. LeBron has more than earned the right to approach his contracts the way he does”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 22, 2018
The Cavs were nowhere near the same class as the Golden State Warriors last season, and all signs point to one team being the favorite to sign LeBron. Unless they get some sort of guarantee from LeBron, the Cavs would be wise to operate as though he is leaving once again.
