The Cleveland Cavaliers just finished an NBA Finals for the ages as they defeated the Golden State Warriors in a thrilling Game 7 on Sunday night to capture their first championship in franchise history. Not only did they become the first team in NBA history to ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the finals, but more importantly, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Co. ended the city of Cleveland’s long 52-year championship drought by taking down the defending champions at Oracle Arena.
Although James has fulfilled his promise of getting one for ‘The Land’ after returning to Cleveland just a season ago, his future with the organization isn’t clear as he’s eligible and expected to opt out of his current two-year contract to become a free agent once again on July 1st.
The chances of James’ actually taking his talents elsewhere again may be slim, but that isn’t going to stop the rumor mill from buzzing with possible destinations. On Monday’s edition of ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith said that the now three-time champion has not ruled out a departure, with the Los Angeles Lakers being a possibility:
It’d be a head-scratcher to see the Ohio native actually leave a championship Cavaliers team for a rebuilding franchise like Los Angeles’; however as Smith mentioned back in May, ‘all bets were off‘ if he were to win a title for Cleveland, and Los Angeles may be appealing for reasons that go beyond just basketball.
Whether or not James actually opts out of his contract and takes the purple and gold as a serious consideration will soon be determined, but for now, the Lakers’ front office will focus on finally announcing their new head coach Luke Walton on Tuesday before the 2016 NBA Draft takes place on Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.