As hard as it may be to believe, one team essentially turned down the chance to sign LeBron James this offseason.
James’ camp reached out to the New York Knicks at one point during his free agency, according to Sam Amico of Hoops Wire. The Knicks, however, had no interest in pursuing James.
The Knicks simply believed they are good enough as they are and did not want to disrupt their current roster. The team has a proven championship-winning core, and according to Amico, they still believe they are better than the Philadelphia 76ers even after James chose to go there.
James’ interest in the Knicks certainly appears to have been very serious. Rich Paul, his agent, claimed earlier in the offseason that James would absolutely have gone to the Knicks had they not just won an NBA title. At the time, it was assumed that James had ruled them out after their championship, but perhaps it was the Knicks themselves who made that decision.
James has already received some criticism for what is perceived by some as “team stacking.” One can only imagine the reaction had he taken an enormous pay cut to join the reigning NBA champions, but he was apparently willing to do just that.
