LeBron James is not above pipe dreams.
It’s been known for a while that he’s super close with Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade. Hell, he even forged a whole plan to play with Wade in Miami. Apparently, though, his time in Miami, alongside Wade, isn’t enough of a superstar buddy fix. He wants to team up with Melo and CP3, in addition to Wade, at some point, too.
That’s what LeBron told Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck, who penned a fantastic piece that explored the bond shared specifically between LeBron and Melo. The whole thing is worth your time, but here’s the quote that sticks out:
Decisions have been made, trades forced, contracts signed, fates chosen, taking the teen stars down starkly different paths. The bond endures. The vision of a James-Anthony partnership does, too.
“I really hope that, before our career is over, we can all play together,” James said. “At least one, maybe one or two seasons—me, Melo, D-Wade, CP—we can get a year in. I would actually take a pay cut to do that.”
Maybe at the end of their careers, James said. Maybe sooner. One more ring chase, this time with everyone on board.
“It would be pretty cool,” James said. “I’ve definitely had thoughts about it.”
Before bounding away, he smiles and closes with a coy chirp: “We’ll see.”
OK, everybody chill. It will take a lot of planning if that’s going to happen, and this was probably just LeBron wishing aloud.
If it’s going to happen, they’ll have to coordinate their free agencies. That all starts with Melo, who cannot hit the open market until 2018, at which point he’ll be 34.
LeBron can keep signing one-plus-one deals with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dwyane Wade would have to do the same with the Miami Heat. Chris Paul would either have to sign a one-plus-one in free agency in 2017, or he could just simply opt into the last year of his current contract, which would throw him to the open market in 2018, the same summer as Melo.
Alas, too many pay cuts would need to take place, too many metaphorical stars would need to align for, well, these literal stars to align. Maybe LeBron is, inevitably, able to team up with one of these guys before his career is out. Maybe even two.
Partnering with all three of them, in any scenario, is just unfathomable.
Then again, people probably thought the same of the 2010-11 Heat.
