“If you want LeBron, you should want him because of his gained attraction” - Stephen A. Smith believes Cavaliers shouldn’t sign LeBron James as they are competitive enough on the court
Stephen A. Smith has advised the Cleveland Cavaliers against signing their former superstar LeBron James.
James praised the Cavaliers management at the 2022 All-Star weekend for their efforts in putting together one of the most exciting young rosters in the NBA this year.
In a recent interview with The Athletic's Jason Lloyd, the 'King' stated that the door isn't closed on a potential return to Cleveland. He added that he wishes to play his final year in the league with his son, Bronny.
The 37-year-old later clarified his comments as rumors began circulating that he was open to leaving the LA Lakers. He pledged his loyalty to the Purple and Gold, saying he will remain with the franchise for the foreseeable future.
Despite his clarification, James continues to be linked with the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, there isn't much support for him joining the Cavs as they are in a comfortable position with the players they have right now.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith also agrees with this take and believes Cleveland should only sign James because of his "gained attraction." Here's what Smith said on the latest episode of 'First Take':
"They really shouldn't. Because if you want LeBron, you should want him because of his gained attraction, his is Marquee, the money that he will bring to the local economy and stuff like that because he is King James. We know what he brings. But as a basketball team, they're so young and they're competitive and they're considerably cheaper."
Stephen A. Smith says Cleveland re-signed LeBron James as a 'business arrangement'
LeBron James has played in two different stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the franchise that drafted him with the #1 overall pick in 2003. The best he could achieve with the side in his first stint was an NBA Finals appearance in 2007. The Cavs lost the series in four games against the San Antonio Spurs.
During that time, James was not surrounded by the kind of teammates who could help him bring a championship to Cleveland. This led to his move to the Miami Heat in the 2010 offseason. He went on to make four consecutive NBA Finals appearances with the Heat, winning the title in 2013 and 2014.
James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers after his time with the Miami Heat and helped them win a title in 2016.
"Very confident...I don't understand how my comments last weekend were taken to a whole different area." LeBron on his confidence in the #Lakers front office building a championship roster around him and the bizarre ending to tonight's game. https://t.co/SpALJCGjuc
Stephen A. Smith believes that James' return to Cleveland was a "business arrangement" as the player wanted to deliver on the promise of winning a title for the city.
Smith also highlighted that the relationship between Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and LeBron James isn't great. He believes this is another reason why the franchise shouldn't sign James again.
Smith explained:
"More importantly, you know your Dan Gilbert let's face reality. He never has or ever will have the greatest relationship with LeBron. It was a business arrangement. That's why LeBron ended up going back because it was is in his best interest to go and deliver on a promise he had made to the city from the time that he got drafted."
James is under contract with the LA Lakers until the end of next season (2022-23), a year before his son, Bronny, will be eligible for the NBA draft.
It will be interesting to see which team ends up drafting Bronny, as they will also likely end up acquiring LeBron James.