LeBron James has seemed uncharacteristically frustrated at times this season, leading many to wonder if he is considering leaving Cleveland once again this summer. While it remains extremely unlikely, the Cavaliers are reportedly not ruling it out.
According to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com, Cavs officials have been closely monitoring LeBron’s on-court outbursts, one of which you can see here. While they don’t expect James to leave his hometown team again, they realize it could happen.
More from Lowe:
The organization is confident James won’t leave again, but officials acknowledge it would be at least a slight possibility if Cleveland flames out. If he stays, James will have the clout to order another reconstruction. People who know James see a 31-year-old facing his basketball mortality — watching a rival in Oakland seize the league and shorten James’ championship window.
If LeBron thinks he’s running out of time, this specific group of stars has two months left to prove it can win at the highest level. These Cavs should make the Finals, but can they do more?
It makes no sense for LeBron to say publicly that he is staying in Cleveland. The point of being able to opt out has more to do with James making sure the Cavs build their roster to his liking than it does with money. That’s why he clearly loves all the buzz he creates with cryptic tweets like this one.
The way LeBron mocked the media recently made it seem like he has no intention of leaving the Cavs. By winning a championship in Cleveland, James would cement himself as a hero who came back and rescued a tortured franchise. Will he give that up for a chance to win another ring if he doesn’t think the Cavs are going anywhere? We’ll soon find out.
