(The original text was published on December 7, and the author is Sporting Gilbert of the McGregor News website. The content of the article does not represent the translator’s point of view)
The All-Star Weekend held in Cleveland last year, James suggested that he might return to the Cavaliers one day, which made the whole NBA boil. In February this year, James said in an interview with The Atheltic website: “It is not impossible for me to go back to The Knight. I am not saying that I want to go back to The knight to play basketball. I really don’t know, I don’t know what will happen in the future, even when I will become a free agent.”
James has signed an extension contract with the Lakers and will not leave the Lakers at least until the end of next season. The 2024-25 season is a player option, which means James can become a free agent as early as 2024 off-season. In his 20-year career, James has never been traded by the team in the middle of the season and has never changed the team during the contract period. However, he has exercised the right of player options many times, jump out of the contract and become a free agent, to be exact, three times. With James’s career coming to the end, is it possible for the Knight to become James’s boss again?
Will James return to Cleveland?
The most important point is that James was very cautious not to say that he must be a player when he returned to the Knight. James, born in northeastern Ohio, has always expressed his hope to become the boss of an NBA team one day. If James’s plan to buy a Las Vegas team fails, is it possible that James is suggesting that his future return to Knight is a shareholder? Or a classic “short one-day contract”, James returned to the knight to complete the curtain call of his career.
Aside from James’s thoughtful words, there are several variables that are particularly important for his future decisions. James has said publicly that he wanted to play in the same NBA team as his son brownie before retirement. In an interview with The Athletic website, James also said: “The last year of his career will be with his son. No matter where brownie is, he will go to find him.”
Facts have proved that James’s decision may be as thoughtful as his speech. James had a player option in the summer of 2024 and could become a free agent. He could also participate in the NBA draft conference brownie during the offseason of the same year. Although the Knight has lost a lot of talent show assets in the past few years, in the next seven years, the Knight will only have one of his own first round signing, which is exactly the first round signing in 2024!
Of course, all this is speculation. James in 2024 may not focus on retirement tour for several years, and Brownie may not be ready to enter NBA. In other words, there is a more realistic possibility to bring James back to the Knight, and that is to win.
Is James suitable for the present Knight?
During the offseason this year, Knight and Jazz reached a heavy deal, and Soha got Mitchell. The 26-year-old Mitchell and the 22-year-old Garland are the future backcourt partners of the team. The 21-year-old mobry and the 24-year-old jarert-Allen are the future front-court partners of the team. The Knight has a stable point guard, sub-guard, front and center. How about the upgrade of the small forward position?
Although James does not fully conform to the growth timeline of the Knight’s young stars, he is the greatest player in the Knight’s history, and James will become a free agent next time, it is likely that they will still be all-star players. Garland, Mitchell, James, Little mobry and jarert-Allen, the starting line-up is definitely competing for the championship level.
As the four-time NBA champion, James’s arrival can help the Knight’s young core players reach new heights. James on the court is regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA, just because of his incredible players and ability to improve the performance of teammates, which we have witnessed. James and Owen won the championship together, and James and Wade also won the championship. Now imagine what it would be like for James to partner with peak Wade and peak Owen at the same time. History has proved that after the inevitable adaptation period, James, Garland and Mitchell will surely burst into horrible ruling power. As for the worries about the distribution of ball rights, James will be 39 or 40 by then. Even James, 37, is willing to give in on the ball, making Davis the first choice for the Lakers. Considering the development trend of little morbury, James, who is a few years old, may actually be the fourth choice for Knights.
If James can really return to the Knight in some way, then his line-up with the Knight will be seamlessly connected. More importantly, this decision will allow James to extend his career and achieve the goal of fighting side by side with brownie. Will this scene take place several miles away from the birthplace of James and brownie? Time will give us the answer.
James’s contract
In August this year, James and the Lakers signed a 2-year 97.1 million-dollar renewal contract, and the cooperation between the two sides lasted at least until the end of the 2023-24 season. According to James’s performance in the next few seasons, he may choose to jump out of the contract to earn more money in 2024, because NBA’s salary cap is expected to rise by then.
Original text: Gilbert McGregor
Compile: Li Taibai
Discussion & Analysis