NBA Rumors: LeBron James Will Leave Cavs, Finish Career In Los Angeles

Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers are down 0-3 to the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals, vociferous whispers are spreading about the possibility of LeBron James taking his talents elsewhere when he becomes an unrestricted free agent following the 2018 season.

One theory gaining tremendous steam is James will make a permanent move to Hollywood to join preferably the Los Angeles Lakers, with the Los Angeles Clippers serving as a fall back plan.

Murmurs around the NBA suggest that LeBron James could be interested in taking his talents west in 2018. https://t.co/DCdKYONscb @ringer

— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 8, 2017

The Ringer‘s Bill Simmons and Kevin O’Connor discussed James’ options on the Bill Simmons Podcast this week and, to be honest, some of it makes sense.

From TheRinger:

Multiple league sources I’ve spoken to think the Lakers or Clippers are viable destinations for King James. Jalen Rose said this week on First Take that he expects LeBron to make a move from Cleveland to California, where he already owns a house 30 minutes away from Staples Center.

The Lakers make sense if LeBron wants to build a sustainable winner with a core blend of veterans and youthful talent like Paul George — if, as NBA gossip suggests, George truly is “hell-bent” on going to L.A. — and Brandon Ingram. The Clippers make sense if LeBron wants to form a Banana Boat Voltron with Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony.

The Cavaliers are in the Finals for the third consecutive season, and would be the favorites to continue making the final round for as long as LeBron chooses to stay. Leaving wouldn’t necessarily give him better odds of reaching the promised land again.

But the league landscape can change quickly. If the Cavs get their doors blown off by the Warriors and are unable to effectively shuffle the deck this summer, their championship forecast for next year won’t look any rosier than it does now.

If they fall short of their ultimate goal again, LeBron might look at Cleveland and see little potential for growth compared to other situations. He delivered on his goal to bring “one trophy back to Northeast Ohio,” but he has others. Namely, to “win as many titles as possible.”

Obviously, talk of ‘King James’ departing Cleveland for the second time is nothing more than calculated speculation currently.

But it’s hard to imagine LeBron settling for a quick loss in the Finals every season against the juggernaut Warriors over the next three of four years, so anything could happen…