The Phoenix Suns could be a viable destination for LeBron James
By Adam Maynes
Houston Rockets (11-5 odds)
The Houston Rockets are already set with two stars in James Harden and Chris Paul. They are so good that they came one CP3 injury away from defeating the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals – and likely would have been good enough to win the title over the Cleveland Cavaliers with the same ease as the Warriors did themselves.
It would be tons of fun to see LeBron James in Mike D’Antoni‘s offense, streaking up and down the court not having to worry about whether or not someone is open for a shot, but just where he needs to put the ball.
In that system there is even a chance that both James Harden and LeBron James would average a triple-double in the same season – take that, Russell Westbrook.
That being said, Harden and Paul are both already ball-dominant players. Sure, they were able to peel back a little of their own offense for one another, but add a third layer of layer who needs the ball to be effective and…they might not be that effective (see the 2017-18 Oklahoma City Thunder).
Not to mention, Harden is already being paid a ton, Paul is on the verge of demanding a ton, and it was their lack of depth and intelligent play that killed them when Paul went down with his hamstring injury – two of the very issues that James commented on in regards to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ poor Finals play.
It has widely been speculated too that for the Rockets to even have a shot of affording LeBron while keeping Paul and Harden, they would need to not re-sign Clint Capela as his contract is likely to approach a max level. Replacing Capela will be extraordinarily difficult, something that I doubt Tarik Black would be able to do with any legitimacy.
The Rockets are also an old team, second oldest in the entire NBA, in fact. LeBron is still going strong at 33, but will need younger players to carry him over the next few years as his body begins to slowly deteriorate, as it most certainly will.
Sure, if they managed to sign he and Chris Paul, plus not decimate themselves of the decent veteran depth that they already have right away, they can potentially be championship-worthy for another two seasons.
But let he and us all be honest with ourselves: if he wants to continue winning, LeBron will have to move on again.
I know Houston is the hype pick because they might be able to win immediately, but I do wonder if the lack of a long-term opportunity there does dissuade LeBron James from joining the Rockets.