Lebron james - no one is talking about this - but they should be!

[Jameis1of1]

Many, many "talking heads" are predicting LeBron will sign with the 76'ers or Lakers this summer, and I do believe there is a great chance Lebron signs with the 76'ers ... however, there is another team that makes even more sense for LeBron to join that literally NO ONE is talking about ... BOSTON!

I honestly believe that if LeBron and Kawhi want to team up this summer, they can do so in Los Angeles or Philly ... or Boston!

The Lakers could easily trade Brandon Ingram for Kawhi and then sign LeBron AND Paul George to max contracts, which would allow them to field a lineup of:
Lonzo/PG13/Kawhi/LeBron/Zubac with a bench led by Kyle Kuzma ... that's a great team ... but not one good enough to be guaranteed of knocking out the loaded Warriors imho.

The 76'ers could easily trade Markelle Fultz, Dario Saric and Jerryd Bayless for Kawhi Leonard and then sign LeBron to a max deal as well, and that would give them an unbelievably dominant roster of: Simmons/Redick/Kawhi/LeBron/Embiid and a decent bench of: McConnell/Anderson/Covington/Holmes/Draft Pick

However, as great as the above 76'ers lineup could be, and it's one I believe would destroy the current Celtics (even with a healthy Kyrie and Hayward), I think if LeBron and Kawhi join up on the Celtics, they could form the core of a team that could literally destroy the entire league, the Golden State Warriors included, for the foreseeable future.

And, it wouldn't even be difficult for Danny Ainge to pull off getting both Kawhi and LeBron.

If LeBron James tells Danny Ainge, "If you trade Kyrie for Kawhi, I will force the Cavs to trade me to Boston, as if they don't I will simply sign with the 76'ers and leave Cleveland with nothing", it will be as easy as beating the Bucks for Ainge to land both Kawhi and LeBron and build a new NBA dynasty.

The Celtics could do a simple swap of Kyrie for Kawhi ... and that is a trade that San Antonio would jump at, as they won't get a bigger star or a better single player than Kyrie for Kawhi, not when Kawhi holds the leverage and can refuse to re-sign with any team that trades for him!

The Celtics could then trade Gordon Hayward for LeBron James ... and before you say, "No way would Cleveland trade LeBron for only Hayward", remember the alternative for Cleveland would be to watch LeBron just sign with the 76'ers in which case Cleveland would receive NOTHING for LeBron.

However, the Celtics could even play nice and include some future 1st round picks with Hayward, or a couple young players they already have under contract like Abdel Nader or Daniel Theis.

Regardless, the Celtics could have a starting 5 of: LeBron/Jaylen/Tatum/Kawhi/Horford which could literally be the greatest starting 5 in the history of the NBA in short order, as well as a deep and dynamic bench of: Rozier/Smart/Ojeleye/Yabusele/Morris

I mean, seriously, how perfect would THAT be? LeBron would literally be the one sending Kyrie packing from Boston, creating his own Super-Team and one that is even better than the Warriors on paper, and setting himself up to win rings on the second most prestigious franchise in the NBA, and ultimately have a great shot at finishing his career with more rings than Jordan, to go along with besting Jordan in basically every single statistical category and advanced metric.

So ... while I do think LeBron could bolt for Philly this summer, I think he may and SHOULD consider orchestrating a move for he and Kawhi to Boston as well!

Possible 2019 Celtics and 2019 76'ers Lineup if LeBron and Kawhi were to join each team:

BOSTON ------------------ PHILLY ------------------ ADVANTAGE

HC: Brad Stephens ----- Brett Brown --------------- Boston
PG: LeBron James ----- Ben Simmons ------------- Boston
SG: Jaylen Brown ------ JJ Redick ------------------- Boston
SF: Jayson Tatum ------ Kawhi Leonard ------------ Philly
PF: Kawhi Leonard ----- LeBron James ------------ Basically Even
C: Al Horford ------------- Joel Embiid ---------------- Philly
PG: Terry Rozier -------- T.J. McConnell ------------ Boston
SG: Marcus Smart ----- Justin Anderson ----------- Boston
SF: Semi Ojeleye ------- Robert Covington --------- Philly
PF: G. Yabusele -------- Richaun Holmes ----------- Boston
C: Marcus Morris ------- Draft Pick -------------------- Boston
11: Daniel Theis -------- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot - Who Cares
12: Abdel Nader -------- Furkan Korkmaz --------------- Who Cares

OVERALL ADVANTAGE: Boston ... the starting lineups are close but the Celtics bench is much deeper and much better!

[pwaldo]

I don't think anybody would argue that the Celtics adding him would make a great team but I think it is more that destination is off the table. His list if it is even his list was basically filled with teams that were either going to pay him a ton or that he could win a title with. Some were both. But the problem with Boston and a few other places is that they have really high taxes so his "max contract" would be significantly less than if he signed with the Rockets or Spurs.

That's why I always thought "his" list was more about $$$$ than winning because if he wanted to win there are a bunch of interesting places he could go but the states have high taxes. There are enough decent to good teams in the league that he wouldn't have to settle for a garbage team in a low tax state like the Mavs because hell there are 2 other teams in Texas he could also play for.

[Jameis1of1]

I don't think anybody would argue that the Celtics adding him would make a great team but I think it is more that destination is off the table. His list if it is even his list was basically filled with teams that were either going to pay him a ton or that he could win a title with. Some were both. But the problem with Boston and a few other places is that they have really high taxes so his "max contract" would be significantly less than if he signed with the Rockets or Spurs.

That's why I always thought "his" list was more about $$$$ than winning because if he wanted to win there are a bunch of interesting places he could go but the states have high taxes. There are enough decent to good teams in the league that he wouldn't have to settle for a garbage team in a low tax state like the Mavs because hell there are 2 other teams in Texas he could also play for.

I think LeBron's decision is 100% about winning and his legacy and 0% about money ... however I don't think there is anyway he goes to the Spurs; they were garbage this year and seem to be getting worse. As for the Rockets ... they don't really have the cap space to get him, retain CP3 and field a solid roster, and I would be really surprised if he left the Eastern Conference anyways.

To me, he's going to Philly or staying in Cleveland, but if Boston is smart, they'll get Kawhi and then try to lure LeBron ...

[dvsantan]

read with a grain of salt, as it is coming from NBC Philly. But interesting article about how he would fit in and his role as an off the ball player https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/76ers/lebron-james-rumors-4-reasons-sixers-fit

[Jameis1of1]

^ The article makes a couple solid little points ... and it doesn't even touch on how Dario Saric is a young Kevin Love or that Covington, Fultz and McConnell could become one of the NBA's better bench mobs, etc. Lebron in Philly makes a ton of sense!

[pwaldo]

With that loss I'm now seeing a lot of rumor sites picking up steam on this Lebron to Boston rumor....if anything you should get credit for being well ahead of the curve on this one.

[Jameis1of1]

With that loss I'm now seeing a lot of rumor sites picking up steam on this Lebron to Boston rumor....if anything you should get credit for being well ahead of the curve on this one.

I usually am ahead of the curve Personally, I think he probably ends up in Philly just because it's easier to get there as they can simply sign him, whereas Boston would have to trade Kyrie for Kawhi and then trade Hayward for LeBron ... but Boston would be the better option for LeBron imho.

However ... we could all be treated to an ECF next year featuring Simmons/Redick/Kawhi/LeBron/Embiid vs. Kyrie/Brown/Tatum/Hayward/Horford ... now that would be amazing!

[Jameis1of1]

If the Cavs play like they did tonight for the rest of the series, beat the Celtics, and then get smacked by the Warriors or Rockets in the Finals, I could see LeBron wisely forcing a trade to the Celtics this year ... at least loons like Stephen A Smith wouldn't compare it to what Durant did in joining the dream team that beat him ... this summer should be fun with guys like LeBron, Kawhi, PG13 and maybe even Boogie, Deandre Jordan and Andrew Wiggins all signing with other teams or being traded.

[scottkoz20]

lebron.jpg

[Jameis1of1]

^ You really think he'll be on the Warriors next year?

He could force his way there quite easily if he was willing to take a slight pay-cut as he could be traded for Iggy+Livingston+Looney+Bell+Jones+Picks ... that'd leave the Warriors with Steph/Klay/Durant/LeBron/Draymond and needing them to fill their entire roster with veteran minimum contracts.

However, I don't see it ... right now I have LeBron playing next year with the:

76'ers: 40%
Cavs: 25%
Celtics: 25%
Other: 10%

However if the Cavs are able to trade Clarkson+Cedi+Nance+Zizic+#8+#26 for Kawhi, I think the chances LeBron stays in Cleveland for at least one more year are 100%