Most people believe the Cleveland Cavaliers did well to flip Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round pick. They might stop short of saying the Cavaliers won a trade in which they coughed up a 25-year-old superstar, but the prevailing thought in the basketball world is that, at the very least, the return will help them tread water, if not advance their case against the Golden State Warriors.
Knowing all this, you might think Cleveland has also improved its chances of re-signing LeBron James when he enters free agency next summer (player option).
It hasn’t.
As multiple NBA said to Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher:
The prevailing sentiment among the league executives B/R contacted remains that when it comes time to exercise the option on his final contract year with the Cavaliers, James won’t.
“He’s out,” a Western Conference scout says.
“Foregone conclusion,” one Eastern Conference general manager adds.
“I don’t see him staying in Cleveland,” another thinks.
Things can change over the course of the next 10 months. Peoples’ stances may soften as the season plays out. It’ll most certainly soften if the Cavaliers win a title. But the return itself, when this team has yet to take the floor, does not immediately improve the odds of James staying put.
It doesn’t increase the likelihood he leaves, either.
And that’s just as important.
At least now, no matter what happens next year, the Cavaliers can show LeBron they not only have one of the league’s best contracts in Crowder, but they own what will likely be a top-five pick, a selection they can try trading for another high-impact wing. If he’s worried about the Cavaliers continuing to find ways to improve, that alone could assuage his doubts. And who knows, the market for a Kevin Love trade could increase between now and next summer. Either way, even if LeBron leaves, the Cavaliers have options now they didn’t have before, largely thanks to Crowder’s contract and that Nets pick.
