As of right now, Cavaliers fans are hoping, wishing, and praying that LeBron James can lead their team to its first championship in NBA history. But if LeBron is able to do it, could it end up backfiring on those very fans? The same ones who welcomed him back with open arms in 2014 after he decided to return to Cleveland after leaving the organization in 2010 to join the Heat?
It sounds absolutely insane, but Stephen A. Smith—who is always more than happy to take credit for breaking the LeBron-to-Miami story in 2010—has made a series of appearances on ESPN over the course of the last 24 hours. And during those appearances, he has talked about how he’s heard that LeBron could look to leave Cleveland again if the Cavaliers are able to win an NBA title. Specifically, he has spoken with sources in Miami who have told him LeBron would be interested in going back to South Beach for a second act. It could be this year. Or next year. Or the year after that. SAS says there's no definitive plan in place. But according to him, the idea of LeBron leaving Cleveland for a second time isn’t out of the question, assuming he's able to win a title there first.
SAS appeared on ESPN’s Mike & Mike on Tuesday morning to talk about what he’s heard, and he broke it all down for Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic. Here is a transcript of the report he provided on the show:
What I’m hearing is this, and I’ll preface it by saying that LeBron’s camp has emphatically said that there is no truth to this whatsoever. Fair enough. I have been hearing for months—and I heard it again when I went to Miami for Game 6 against the Raptors—that if LeBron were to win the championship in Cleveland, he will have fulfilled his promise to the people in Cleveland, and he will consider going back to South Beach. He’s bought a house in L.A., too, so you got folks out there thinking there’s a possibility that the Lakers could be in his future. I don’t know about all of that, but I do know what I’ve been hearing.
As we mentioned, this sounds crazy. Yes, LeBron has a really close relationship with Dwyane Wade that could play a role in his, er, decision (sorry to even use that word, Cleveland fans). And yes, LeBron has talked about wanting to team up with his close friends Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul one day, and Miami would be the perfect place to do it. But if the Cavaliers were to win a title this season, would LeBron really pick up and do what he did in 2010? We highly doubt it, but then again, a lot of us thought the same exact thing back then.
Stay tuned, because believe it or not, something tells us this is not the last “LeBron might want to leave Cleveland” story you’re going to hear this summer. Or hell, this month if the Cavs don't get it together and rebound from their back-to-back playoff losses against the Raptors.
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