There has been a lot of talk about LeBron James potentially leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers when he is eligible to opt out of his contract next summer, but one NBA reporter says that talk is very premature.
According to Chris Broussard of FOX Sports, LeBron currently has no plans to bail on the Cavs.
"LeBron likes Northeast Ohio. His plan right now is to stay in Cleveland. All this Los Angeles talk is way premature." – @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/91tGGuKZQV
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) June 25, 2017
That isn’t going to stop the speculation. LeBron left the Cavs once in pursuit of championships, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t do it again if he feels he has a better shot at capturing more rings elsewhere.
For now, the Cavs remain the best team in the Eastern Conference. They clearly have some work to do if they want to contend with the Golden State Warriors, but it’d be tough to imagine LeBron finding a much better situation. He’ll likely focus his attention on getting Cleveland to add another top player this offseason.
We know of at least one star player who has been linked to the Cavs, but that still seems like a long shot. As he has done in the past, LeBron will use his contract situation as leverage to make sure the Cavs make the roster moves he wants them to make. If they don’t, he could end up exploring free agency in a year.
