CLEVELAND, Ohio — LeBron James can always come home, and we will always comp his meals upon his visit. When James broke the city’s 52-year championship curse in 2016, he stamped himself a local legend. He deserves all the accompanying perks.
But he also deserves to know: The city’s taste in basketball has changed since he left for Los Angeles seven years ago.
By this I mean: Cavs fans no longer worship at The King’s Throne unconditionally. They’ve tasted success without him demanding that every future draft pick be cashed in early (or else). And they’re enjoying the new experience.
I know this because I asked them last week (more on that later).
Are the Core Four-era Cavs perfect? Of course not. They lack playoff success and, by their own admission, mental toughness. Can’t trust them to contend until they prove otherwise.
But they still win 54.3 games per season, on average, since acquiring Donovan Mitchell. Burgeoning studs like Darius Garland (age 25), and Evan Mobley (age 24) still have room to grow on their development runway. And this group has already reignited a city’s pride in its NBA franchise.
Turns out, there’s more to Cleveland hoops culture than one 6-foot-8, 260-pound demigod from Akron.
We’re having this conversation because James is up to his old tricks again, and we don’t mean tomahawk dunks or chase-down blocks (though he can still perform those, too).
Last month, the 40-year-old star opted into a $52.6 million player option with the Lakers. And as he did so, his agent, Rich Paul, released a statement that sounded like goodbye.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” the statement read. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie and Rob and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
The following week, James played golf at a Northeast Ohio country club. He worked out at the Cavs’ practice facility. He posted a picture of himself wearing a “Welcome home” hat. Cleveland fans recognize this power play like they recognize The Block.
Which begs — no, grovels — the question: Does James want to play in Cleveland again?
The short answer is, “not that simple.”
For starters, any James homecoming would require either a multi-team trade where the Cavs send out at least one of — but likely two — of their Core Four members; or an agreement between the Lakers and James to buy out his contract.
Why would LA make that decision? And why wouldn’t James grease his own exit (assuming he wanted to leave) by opting out of his contract and becoming a free agent?
Two good questions for which we have zero good answers.
But if you were an aging superstar hoping to leave LA for Cleveland, both your travel itinerary and Instagram feed might look a lot like James’ over the last couple weeks. If you harbored these hopes after breaking a 52-year curse, you might expect a hero’s welcome back home. And if your expectations didn’t match reality, you’d probably want somebody to tell you, right?
Well, I asked cleveland.com’s Cavs Insider Subtext subscribers (sign up here) about a potential James reunion last week. And I posited that Cleveland would have to sacrifice one of (if not both) Garland and Allen to make the trade work.
Of 50 respondents, 28 rejected LeBron’s return outright. Twelve more said they would only want James back if he agreed to a buyout and signed for the minimum, meaning Cleveland could keep its core together.
And when I made a video last week arguing the merits of a LeBron trade, I received emails like this one from a reader named Barry:
“(Heck) no we don’t want Lebron and all his drama back a third time, and thankfully there isn’t a chance in (heck) that Dan Gilbert would let him come back again. You don’t get to where Dan is by letting someone spit in your face twice while leaving your franchise in shambles, and then give him a third opportunity.”
Of course, this is one small slice of a large fan base. Barry is only one disgruntled emailer. Every time James returns to Rocket Arena, he receives a standing ovation. And if he ever needs a steak or a beer in town, we’ll take care of it.
But if he’s considering another heartfelt “Coming Home” letter, he should know his audience. This fan base (and franchise) will always love him, but they adore the new-era Cavs, too. Mitchell, Garland, Mobley and Allen offer more longevity, less offseason drama. Five, eight, 10 years ago, Cleveland would’ve given anything for another James tenure.
Now? I’m not so sure.
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