I think some people are just dismissing this without actually thinking about it... Here is an article that explains how the Clippers could get Lebron in a sign and trade and we have a more flexible cap situation than they do. heres a great quote from the article highlighting how this summer Lebron really can go to any team he wants!: If Lebron leaves Miami he is going to want to go to a team where he can immediately compete for a championship, if he wants to end up on that Mount Rushmore he is going to need to win a lot more tittles and be on a lot more all time great teams. Not to mention it would probably be good on his resume if he wasn't winning all those conference titles in the lowly Eastern Conference, so I think a move to the West is a good possibility. now I'm assuming he is going to want to play with at least one more star player so he doesn't have to carry the team like he did in Cleveland so that eliminates half the teams right off the bat. I think we are on a short list of truly desirable landing spots for him. He has shown he can play with a ball dominant 2 guard before in Wade plus he has never gotten the opportunity to play with a good big man (something that can prolong his career because he doesn't have to take all the wear and tear from help defenders) so I can definitely see him liking the idea of playing next to Harden and Howard. So after all of this does the idea still seem so far fetched? Our chances can't be that much worse than most other teams... People thought I was crazy when I was talking about plans to get Dwight back when I first joined CFs, and people thought I was crazy when I was still talking about getting Dwight right after he got traded to LA, but it happened! C'mon Clutch Fans have some faith! Anything is possible! Spoiler
The Lebron to Clippers rumors revolve around the fact that Lebron and CP3 are best friends. In order for it to work, Lebron would have to sign for league miminum for 1 year...then he would sign for a max deal the following year. Under CBA rules, he would be able to do that since he's already on the Clippers. Sure, they can trade Blake Griffin for Lebron, but I'm not sure the Clippers will trade a 24 year old Griffin for a 30 year old Lebron...plus, Lebron will demand Blake is in LA with him and CP3. Sterling is a cheap ass, but he's trying to lock in a massive cable deal like the Lakers and Dodgers and the NBA tax money is chump change compared to what he can get. If Lebron is confident he can win with any team, his precious brand will take him to the Lakers. Lakers are NBA's brand name and Lebron will be able to branch out into all sorts of avenues in entertaiment/music. Clippers are in LA too, but it's not quite the same. But again, he and CP3 are best friends so who knows.
Not sure i agree with much of what you said, a sign and trade is the most likely scenario for any team that Lebron goes to (even the teams with the cap to sign him outright), so I don't think the league minimum thing you are talking about is true. The Clippers would jump at the chance to give up Blake for Lebron (If Lebron really was dead set on the Clippers they wouldn't even have to give up that much value, the trade is more about matching salaries than anything else), they would trade their whole team if it meant getting the best player on the planet, and so would every other team! The difference between Lebron and every other player is so large that there really is no fair compensation for Miami to get for losing him. I don't think he will go to the Lakers just because he would always be in the shadow of the "True Lakers" like Magic and Kobe... This is the same reason why I think he didn't go to Chicago in 2010. I think he liked the idea of playing with Rose but he knew know matter how much he did there he would never surpass what MJ was to the Bulls, just like if he went to the Lakers, he could never surpass what Magic and Kobe are to the Lakers. When people look back on the Heat they will without a doubt say Lebron was the best player to ever put on that uniform, even if he only stays for 4 years. plus Lebron knows that he will be the face of the NBA and have as many endorsements as he wants no matter where he plays, he could play in freaking Ismay, Montana and he would still be the biggest basketball star on the planet. Its 2014 for God sakes LA doesn't corner the market on star power anymore.
Full Bird rights don't kick in until after the 3rd year. after the first year, you can sign for your previous year +20%, for the third year for the mid level, only for the 4th year onwards could he sign for the max. The chances of this occurring is literally zero. Anyone wanting Lebron better open up their cap space, he'll give you $50m worth of production for $20m, he's not doing it for 1.
People said we'd never get Harden & Dwight would never leave LA to come to Houston...never say never.
Well…if we stay the course and have flexibility in 2015 and Lebron opts in for 2014 (hey theres a chance! LOL) then we would have a good possibility at him. Especially if we let Parsons go UFA and his cap hold won't matter in that regard (a little over $1 million). But this is all under "hypothetical" terms lol
This guy agree with you <iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GjfCIJluFP8?list=UU3moC83X04AoTPlIBVdXsCw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
It's mathematically possible. But, a sign-and-trade isn't a realistic possibility. The Rockets would have to open up a bunch of raw cap space by trading away players for no returning salaries to make it possible to sign James as a free agent. If Lebron tells Miami he wants a trade to Houston, they are free to say no and dare Lebron to sign with some other team with enough cap space. And then, like as not, they might be able to still do a sign-and-trade with that team to get something back in a trade so the receiving team doesn't have to dip below the cap and lose its MLE. Why not trade with Houston in that scenario? Because Lin, Asik, and Parsons are good players but none of them are players you'd build a team around. If you have to rebuild after Lebron leaves, you'd rather start with guys on long, underpaid rookie contracts, not 2 guys getting paid at or above market plus another guy on the cusp of his big payday. It's better to have cap space and a 1st rounder than that. The other possibility is trading another star. That's what gives the Clippers scenario some legs (though it still seems to me quite the longshot). Griffin is a guy you can start a rebuild with. We could offer Harden in the same way and Miami might bite on that if they think Lebron will leave anyway. But giving a rebuilding team Lin/Asik/Parsons is liking giving someone a puppy for his birthday -- more responsibility than benefit. So, raw cap space is the answer (assuming you want to keep Harden). With raw cap space or the potential for it, Lebron can sign with us without a trade and we're done. Or, we can force an S&T on Miami with them knowing he's coming to Houston anyway. That's how Cleveland ultimately consented to an S&T with Miami. But, Lebron is not going to be hellbent on Houston, so it's all moot. And to clear cap space by trading away talent for pennies on the dollar for the mere chance of getting Lebron would be foolish. Maybe in 2015, if we have cap space anyway and Lebron is an FA at the time, we should make an offer. But I think that's as close as we get.
Bob Ley takes a shot at LeBron James on Twitter Bob Ley ✔ @BobLeyESPN Follow Help me here, @KingJames. "Don't watch ESPN." - except when you're the focus of a 1 hr show annoucing your free agent destination? 12:28 PM - 19 Feb 2014
