The upshot is this: LeBron has a better option to win multiple rings in the years ahead: Form a new Big Three in L.A.
The chance to be historically great
The Clippers' epic run of bad luck looks like it's finally run its course: Donald Sterling is (nearly) out, Steve Ballmer's (almost) in, Doc Rivers has imported his
Ubuntu mojo, and
Chris Paul and
Blake Griffin are leading the Lob City revival of exciting, winning basketball.
And, as it turns out, the Clippers are LeBron's best possible landing spot this summer.
To figure this out, we ran the real plus-minus numbers on dozens of possible scenarios -- LeBron with the Rockets (with or without Carmelo Anthony), LeBron with the Warriors, and then the Cavs, the Lakers and so on.
No other option comes close to the Clippers.
And, remarkably, there are two completely different ways the Clips could land LeBron and still be historically great: (a) by clearing cap space by offloading several tradable players; or (b) by working with the Heat on a sign-and-trade of LeBron for Griffin.
Naturally, the team would strongly prefer to keep Griffin. No doubt LeBron would also find it much more enticing to join the Clippers with Griffin still on the roster. So, we'll focus our analysis on that scenario -- but while noting that swapping Blake for LeBron also yields a Clippers roster that can be historically good.
To free up enough cap space to sign LeBron as a max-level free agent, the Clippers would need to find a taker for the following players among teams with the cap room to absorb their contracts:
DeAndre Jordan (owed $11.4 million next year), J.J. Redikk ($6.8 million),
Jamal Crawford ($5.4 million) and
Jared Dudley ($4.2 million).
According to RPM, Jordan is an elite starting center, and he's on a reasonable contract, so there would be no shortage of suitors for his services, even if the other team also had to take on Dudley's and/or Redikk's contract to make it happen. Likewise, elite sixth-man Jamal Crawford is priced attractively enough to move without difficulty.
And, if all else failed, LeBron could conceivably use his leverage to coerce Miami into a sign-and-trade with the Clippers for Jordan and others (a better option for the Heat than simply watching LeBron walk away).
was still up my track record on there would prove it, but when he signed here we all took him in. At this point I don't care if he re-ups for 2-3, however many years. After the next contract we need to move on, he's got some tendencies I cant look over. I don't even look at Wade the same to be honest, this was your team 4 years ago, LeBron took it over and if I find out on top of that he Debo'd him into a paycut..
continues............