As NBA free agency looms for LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be looking for ways to convince him to remain on their team for next season. The Cavs are in a bind, though, based on the way the rest of the team performed in the NBA Finals. As LeBron James shouldered much of the load for the Cavs, they were ultimately swept 4-0 by a far superior Golden State Warriors team. LeBron had help at times, mostly in the form of secondary All-Star Kevin Love. However, one report is now suggesting the team needs to move Love and their high draft pick to keep LeBron.
Cavs need to improve their roster
It's clear that LeBron James was frustrated more than a few times during his team's NBA Finals performance. There was the debacle involving J.R. Smith trying to run out the clock rather than calling a timeout towards the end of Game 1's regulation. LeBron reportedly gave him a self-inflicted hand injury after losing that game, which went on to affect him for the rest of the series. In addition, while there were a few standout performances from players not named "LeBron," he was the only one doing much against the Golden State Warriors. Players that, normally, are able to knock down huge three-point or open shots failed to do so when it was needed. The defense left a lot to be desired as well.
If we trade Kevin Love, could we pull off one of these? https://t.co/O9JdeN2dBc
— King James Gospel (@KJG_NBA) June 11, 2018
With that said, fans also realize that there were two different Cavs roster reboots over the past season. The first came when the team was forced to trade Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics. In return, they got a decent group of players, but then when things just weren't working, those players were dealt midway through the season.
Cleveland brought in new pieces from the Lakers such as Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance, who still have future potential. There's also steady players like Rodney Hood and George Hill who make great parts of a deep roster. However, this second reboot didn't work tremendously well. Is LeBron going to be patient with what's there?
The answer is likely, "No."
If the team shows LeBron James that they aren't committed to giving him more help in the championship stage, then James will probably sign elsewhere. The Cleveland Cavs will probably be forced to trade Kevin Love anyways as it will be time for another rebuild in Cleveland.
A trade to bring LeBron help
Kevin Love is still a great player capable of giving a team double-doubles and contributing to wins. Still, a new report is saying the Cavs will need to package Love along with their No 8 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. The Cavs might have their sights set on a talented young point guard or another role player. However, the time it will take that player to develop won't help win a championship next season.
Apart from Love and that pick, there isn't much to offer from the roster, although James may want to see J.R. Smith go. So the Cleveland Cavaliers will need to provide an enticing deal to another team in order to bring LeBron the help he needs.
While more details would probably need to work out, there's been no secret that Kawhi Leonard wasn't happy in San Antonio this past season. He didn't play much, and it's believed he may want a trade away from the Spurs. That could provide Cleveland the perfect opportunity to send Love and the pick to the Spurs to work with. It's been said that Gregg Popovich and the Spurs don't like giving up their players to Western Conference foes, so sending him to the Cavs could make sense.
Another player who the Cavs might look at is Anthony Davis who has been making NBA rumors headlines lately. Speculation and reports are saying the Golden State Warriors are interested in acquiring the All-Star from New Orleans. Cleveland might want to see what they can offer in order to bring a player of Davis' caliber to their roster to help out LeBron. They'll need to offer a bit more than just Love and the pick for Davis, though. Those are just a few examples, as there may be plenty of other players out there who want to play on the same team with LeBron James.
One thing is certain, and that is that this particular roster doesn't provide LeBron James the team he needs to win a championship in Cleveland.
So the Cavs are on the clock as far as making something happen. It seems smarter than sticking with what they have and hoping that No. 8 draft pick pans out. Otherwise, those LeBron to the Lakers rumors just might end up becoming reality for next season.
The bad news for Kevin Love seems to be that in both scenarios - one where the team keeps LeBron, or one where he leaves, the All-Star forward is likely to be traded.