The soap opera in Cleveland this season may be extending out all the way to the very top.
On an episode of ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday, Stephen A. Smith reported that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert wants to sell the team. Take a listen:
“I’ll tell you the number one reason why LeBron [James] ain’t gonna capitulate to anything that Dan Gilbert wants to do,” said Smith, in reference to the suggestion that the Cavs and Gilbert should try to convince James to waive his no-trade clause so that they can get something in return for him. “What Dan Gilbert wants to do, from what I’m being told, is sell the team.
“But they’re more viable as a commodity if LeBron James is on your squad as opposed to if LeBron James leaves,” Smith added. “That’s one of the reasons why Dan Gilbert wanted him to commit to three-to-five years. Because within that timespan, you sell the team, you get money out the wazoo…”
It’s no secret that the Cavs are a mess this year, and the possibility of James’ departure in free agency just over five months from now hangs like a dark cloud over the entire franchise. The billionaire Gilbert has shot down rumors about his future plans for the team in recent months, but this seems to be the first we have heard that he might be planning to outright sell them.
