If he retires, I'mma just go with the mental narrative that the last few years been a Machiavellian plot to fukk Gilbert over. The championship win was secondary to "Let me roll on back after this mufukka done talked mad shyt. Remind Ohio who they should love - me, not some crotchety billionaire - but mostly low-key gut the team of future stars, send away the people they got in the Kyrie trade, saddle them with big contracts for my boys, then dip and leave them to mire in mediocrity without me. Go stack my money doing movies and occasional well-paid speaking arrangements, nevermind the side-hustle TV and commercial stuff while they continue to pay out Tristan, JR and all them randoms because they can't not... and then when the value of the franchise tanks without me there... swoop in and buy the Cavs out from under the same person who talked mad shyt about me."
I mean. I don't think he's this devious.
But if he is, it's not only foreshadowed, but like... bruh. The shyt would me a masterstroke. Hear someone talking shyt, and just throw your revenge on simmer for years, just to take their empire out from under them, and then get to be LeOwner instead of LeGM? Just in time for that wave of kids who jumped into basketball heavy at the start his era, instead of Kobe or Jordan, to be hitting the age to want to play for him? Swoop in, take the franchise, even if not at majority ownership, and you got people tripping over themselves trying to get on over there.
I mean. It isn't happening. Because I don't think that's how he operates. And the NBA isn't GoT, except on that Game of Zones thing, but... if it were, and this happened, I think I'd move LeBron to #2 all-time just off the strength of some Lannister-ass scheming. Definitely respect that more than his garbage defensive play.