LeBron James, center, celebrates with Cavaliers teammates after Cleveland beat the Warriors in Game 7 of 2016 NBA Finals in Oakland. The free agent star is being courted by teams around the NBA, but could be leaning toward Cleveland.
Eric Risberg/Associated Press
LeBron James spent Friday night hanging out with several of his St. Vincent-St. Mary High School teammates in Akron, Ohio. James looked perfectly happy in one social media photo, just like any other 41-year-old catching up with old friends.
Could this count as a not-so-subtle clue as James weighs his NBA future?
James already returned to northeastern Ohio once in his career, of course. He won two championships with Miami, then went back to Cleveland in 2014 and then earned another title with the Cavaliers in 2016, their first in franchise history.
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As Golden State Warriors fans no doubt remember (while wincing), James punctuated the ’16 championship by standing on the court at Oracle Arena in Oakland, tilting his head back and joyously screaming, “Cleveland, this is for you!”
So, yep, home carries deep meaning for the most accomplished free agent in basketball.
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It’s becoming clear the Warriors are not the favorite to land James, whenever he makes his decision. The idea of playing alongside Stephen Curry is no doubt tantalizing, but San Francisco is still not in Ohio — and that’s a disadvantage in this conversation.
And if James shifts gears and chooses a team based on readiness for championship contention — as his agent, Rich Paul, half-suggested on his podcast Friday — then Philadelphia seems to occupy the driver’s seat.
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This would leave the Warriors scrambling to strengthen their LeBron-less roster around Curry. Monday marks the end of the NBA’s free agency moratorium, so Golden State will make official the signings of center Al Horford and guard De’Anthony Melton, to join another holdover in center Kristaps Porzingis.
All three players logically could help (if healthy), but running it back after a disappointing, injury-filled, 37-45 season is not exactly inspiring.
The Warriors need fresh blood beyond rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. They need more size and shooting and athleticism and defense — just about everything, as general manager Mike Dunleavy acknowledged before last month’s draft.
So who’s left if James spurns the Bay Area? His former Lakers teammate, Rui Hachimura, remains available in free agency, and the Warriors reportedly have courted him.
Hachimura is no James, obviously, but he makes sense on many levels. He’s only 28, stands 6-foot-8 and shot an impressive 44.3% last season from long distance, on nearly four attempts per game. That matters for a team prone to letting fly beyond the 3-point line (the Warriors led the league last season at 44.1 attempts per game).
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But will Hachimura wait around until James announces his plan? It’s understandable why the Warriors and other teams are waiting on James, but at some point they must move along.
As for James and his decision, one high school teammate in that social media photo was Cavaliers assistant general manager Brandon Weems. Also worth noting: Marc Stein, a widely respected NBA writer, reported that Cleveland is saving a roster spot to potentially trade for James’ son, Bronny, if LeBron returns.
Not coincidentally, the betting markets are leaning toward James choosing a third act with the Cavs. Polymarket bumped its odds above 60% over the weekend (for what it’s worth), with the Warriors next at about 15%.
And the Weems connection might be more powerful than you think.
“Big, big, big X-Factor, let me talk to you about Brandon Weems,” Paul said on his podcast. “Brandon Weems is basically LeBron’s brother… that is a big feather in the cap.”
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That was the same podcast during which Paul raved about Philadelphia’s moves, most notably adding Jaylen Brown, Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons. Paul made it sound like the Sixers are the strongest candidate, from a title contention perspective, to land James.
But if James makes this decision based mostly on personal happiness, as has been reported, then he really could complete his career in Cleveland. He has earned that right, absolutely.
And it would leave Curry and the Warriors in a bind.
Summer league: The Warriors coasted to a 98-69 California Classic victory over San Antonio on Sunday at Chase Center. Lendeborg, after going scoreless in the first half, bounced back to finish with 11 points and eight rebounds.
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Golden State’s other summer league team lost 91-85 to the Kings on Sunday in Sacramento, despite 18 points from Jacksen Moni, a 6-10 rookie from North Dakota State. The same “Blue” squad fell 97-83 to Milwaukee on Saturday at Golden 1 Center.