LeBron James holds all the cards in terms of what the Cleveland Cavaliers do this summer with their pending free agents and any potential moves to upgrade the roster.
Why wouldn't he? James just finished leading the Cavaliers all the way to the NBA Finals, winning two games against the all-mighty Golden State Warriors without the services of All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. The last thing management should want to do is leave the most important player in franchise history out of the loop.
The front office reportedly wants the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player to give his two cents on everything the team does in the coming months, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst:
The Cavs prefer he give a lot of input. In past similar situations, James has skewed toward passive-aggressiveness from the shadows. Taking such a position now would only add to the anxiety the franchise is sure to feel.
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Ideally for the Cavs, James would come into his exit meeting with strong opinions: Sign this guy at any cost; don't worry about this guy; try to keep this guy, but don't break the bank.
No, this is not how things are supposed to be done in a classic NBA hierarchy. But the reality is the Cavs prefer James to be invested in their decisions so that everyone is on the same page. It's better than operating in a gray area, where they're uncertain of James' investment in working with a player going forward.
This is especially important in regard to Love. James very much pushed for the Cavs to trade for Love last summer, to the point where he was comfortable with No. 1 draft pick Andrew Wiggins being included. However, James and Love didn't particularly mesh well, on or off the court.
James (player option), along with Love (player option), J.R. Smith (player option), Matthew Dellavedova (restricted), Iman Shumpert (restricted), and Tristan Thompson (restricted), will likely all become free agents by July 1, with James presumably opting out of his current deal to sign a new two-year contract with a player option for a second season.
With the salary cap set to skyrocket at the end of next season, it makes perfect financial sense for James to opt out and wait for his enormous payday.
One player "The King" would love to see back in a Cavaliers uniform is Thompson, who James says "should probably be a Cavalier his entire career." The 24-year-old Canadian forward averaged a near double-double of 9.6 points and 10.8 rebounds in 20 postseason games with Love out of the picture, which could help land the fourth-year pro the max offer he wants.
The Cavaliers have reportedly acknowledged internally that their payroll may have to see a substantial spike for next season should qualifying offers be extended to all of the aforementioned restricted free agents. New extensions for Irving and center Anderson Varejao are also set to begin.
Owner Dan Gilbert will have to pay up in a big way should everyone return, with Windhorst noting how the team could be locked in for upwards of $75 million in luxury taxes, putting Cleveland on par with the Brooklyn Nets' record of $193 million in taxes and salaries in 2013-14.
It will be interesting to see what comes of Love's situation, with injury concerns and chemistry issues making a max offer anything but a sure bet. If a deal comes his way, it would lead one to believe James was on board with the arrangement.
Frankly, anything the Cavaliers wind up doing should have James' seal of approval behind it. He doesn't need the title of general manager to know he's the one who runs that entire organization.
