Not so far away ....only hypothetical

[Pharaoh]

I fully expect Lebron to go to the Lakers next summer.

I think it will be a pretty interesting time in the East, I could see several franchises that have had a more patient approach suddenly shift into high gear to make it to the Finals.

Ultimately I believe you'll have the 4 best, maybe something like 6 of the 7 clear best teams in the West, it won't take long and the NBA and it's TV partners will be tired of burning Lebron vs the Warriors in the WCF (or maybe even earlier) and it will lead to nuking conferences and a true 1-16 playoff format.

I can't see Lebron going West - it's a bloodbath out there & he wouldn't even be guaranteed a Conference Final.

His best bet is to stay in Cleveland until he retires - at least he could say he won them a ring!

And they'd erect a monument for him IMO

IF he leaves? All bets are off

[ImHeisenberg]

I wouldn't hate the trade, but it's another win-now move that certainly gets the team deeper into the playoff standings if Conley and Gasol remained healthy, but it's a very short window. It's probably still more digestible than paying Drummond and Leuer for the next 3-4 years.

[sfballa13]

I wouldn't hate the trade, but it's another win-now move that certainly gets the team deeper into the playoff standings if Conley and Gasol remained healthy, but it's a very short window. It's probably still more digestible than paying Drummond and Leuer for the next 3-4 years.

Would be a fun 4 years --- Conley / Bradley / Tobias / Gasol

We probably could combine Ellenson, Stanley, and Leuer into another PF

[Manocad]

I fully expect Lebron to go to the Lakers next summer.

I think it will be a pretty interesting time in the East, I could see several franchises that have had a more patient approach suddenly shift into high gear to make it to the Finals.

Ultimately I believe you'll have the 4 best, maybe something like 6 of the 7 clear best teams in the West, it won't take long and the NBA and it's TV partners will be tired of burning Lebron vs the Warriors in the WCF (or maybe even earlier) and it will lead to nuking conferences and a true 1-16 playoff format.

I can't see Lebron going West - it's a bloodbath out there & he wouldn't even be guaranteed a Conference Final.

His best bet is to stay in Cleveland until he retires - at least he could say he won them a ring!

And they'd erect a monument for him IMO

IF he leaves? All bets are off

I don't know where LeBron will go but I will bet my house that he is absolutely gone from Cleveland after his contract is up. No trade either by desig; just "Eff you, Gilbert; I'm outta here and you get nothing."

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[Manocad]

And I would also put my money on the Lakers. I don't think LeBron is afraid of competition; at this point in his career my guess is he's going for exposure/attention.

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[Pharaoh]

Assuming Lebron signs with the Lakers:

They'll add another big gun to that team in free agency and likely another one via trade but:

How good will that team actually be?

GSW are on another level to everyone

Is the goal to meet them in the WCF?

SAS, HOU are a level below that already...

Will the Lebron Lakers be in the top 4 in the West?

You've also got DEN, LAC, MEM, MIN, NO, OKC, POR, UTA to compete with.

Meanwhile the East has never been weaker IMO

And how much more exposure/attention does Lebron need?