Cleveland Cavaliers are entering next season with the hope of achieving big things, but they also might have plans for next summer. With LeBron James potentially becoming a free agent next offseason, Cleveland might be preparing themselves for that possibility.
ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst hinted recently that the Cleveland Cavaliers could be positioning themselves to make a run at the Los Angeles Lakers superstar next offseason. The Cavs will have a ton of cap space to make a run at James next summer.
However, it also could be an irrelevant factor if the superstar signs an extension with the Lakers prior to the 2022-23 season. The Cavs have a solid young core right now with Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Darius Garland.
James returned to Cleveland originally to play with Kyrie Irving, and Windhorst thinks the Cavs may have a better team this time around. The Cavs could accelerate their playoff and championship timeline by bringing in James.
Even in year no. 19, James was dominant as ever, averaging 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from beyond the arc.
The Cavaliers reached one win away from the playoffs losing to the Nets and the Hawks in the play-in tournament. They ended the 2021-22 season with a 44-38 record, which was the best finish in a season for the team in four years.
On #ESPNDaily, @WindhorstESPN talks about calling LeBron’s return to Cleveland, two years before it happened. And we get into Collin Sexton’s contract (🤔) and the hidden dynamics of LeBron returning to the Cavs again (again): https://t.co/TPxVh2tB00 pic.twitter.com/FPt9RwpLwv
— Pablo Torre (@PabloTorre) July 21, 2022
