LeBron James is not thinking about his upcoming free agency, but everyone else is. The Miami Heat star is able to opt out of the final year of his current contract and head elsewhere if he so chooses. Naturally every team in the league feels like they have a chance at signing him if he does not return to the Heat next season.
NBA analyst Charles Barkley has an opinion on what James should do this summer and that is return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Owner Dan Gilbert is not hiding the fact that he would ideally like for Cleveland's favorite hometown hero to return to the Cavaliers sooner rather than later and Barkley believes the star should reunite with his former team.
"I've always thought he was going to go back to Cleveland," Barkley said, via ESPN.com. "Nobody dislikes LeBron. I think LeBron made a huge mistake with that 'Decision' crap. He's come back and since admitted that. That's the only thing people hold against LeBron. He's a great player, a great person. I hope he goes back to Cleveland. Those fans in Miami are not real fans, those fans in Cleveland are real fans. I've always hoped he would go back to Cleveland. That would be a great way to finish his career."
According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Cavaliers really do believe they stand a chance at bringing James back. The idea of James returning to Cleveland is a controversial topic at best. His exit did not exactly sit well with fans or Gilbert. James has certainly said that he has always left the door open for a return to his hometown, but only if the team is set to win. Would another top draft pick be enough to lure him back?
If the Heat with a third-straight title and both Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade say they will stay in Miami, James is not leaving. The Heat would immediately be contenders to win a fourth title, something Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant never did. There is also the situation where James plays out his contract and hits free agency in 2015, where the New York Knicks will be ready and waiting.
According to ESPN's Ian Begley, the Knicks will target James in 2015 if he stays in Miami and the team re-signs Carmelo Anthony. Those are certainly two very big "if" scenarios, but the Knicks love to dream. New York hopes to entice James with the Anthony pairing and two young stars in Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr. New York will have a first-round pick and cap space by then.
James is in his prime and will only head to a team built to win. The Knicks are not that team yet and it is hard to see them being that team in 2015. Cleveland is in the same boat.
