The Phoenix Suns could be a viable destination for LeBron James
By Adam Maynes
Boston Celtics (10-1 odds)
Therefore, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
What if the major acquisition that I was referencing wasn’t Kawhi Leonard at all, but LeBron James himself? Could he and Kyrie Irving bury the hatchet and play together once again, this time in Boston?
Who’s team would it be at that point? Irving wanted to prove that he could win without LeBron, but got nowhere near the an opportunity due to the injury that kept him out of the playoffs.
Could he handle being in ‘Bron’s shadow so quickly and after his team was so close to making it to the Finals without Irving, all but proving that if healthy Kyrie could have taken the Celtics to the promised land?
If such a peaceful accord could be established, the Boston Celtics with LeBron James would be nearly unbeatable. They are young, balanced, and chalk-full of assets that could help General Manager Danny Ainge pull off almost any trade he wanted.
Those trade pieces might also be key in acquiring LeBron.
The Boston Celtics do not have the cap space to sign James outright and would need to make a trade similar to how they could potentially acquire Leonard, maybe even needing to use even less of them.
Imagine the 2K-style wheeling and dealing that Ainge could do to bring in LeBron and still have the assets necessary to possibly sign and trade for a player like Brook Lopez to player center arguably upgrading over Al Horford.
In the end, I just do not see Kyrie allowing LeBron to come to Boston, and if Ainge can make a play for Leonard, then not adding LeBron won’t be a big deal to them anyway. Heck, there is a real possibility that a healthy Irving and Hayward meant a title in 2018 anyway so why piss off the best player already on your team by asking him play with the very star talent he so desperately wanted to get away from in the first place.