Is former Miami Heat star LeBron James about to join the Houston Rockets?
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are currently down 3-0 to the Golden State Warriors, in the 2018 NBA Finals. And yet, it seems the majority of league is more concerned about what happens after a champion is crowned.
Despite the former Miami Heat star having yet to confirm his departure himself, it seems almost a sure thing that James is jumping ship this summer.
Having previously left Cleveland to join the Heat in 2010, the Ohio-native is rumored to once again be looking for a new home. Come July, James will officially be a free agent if he opts out of his contract, opening an entirely new world of basketball possibilities.
So far, there have been a handful of teams said to be possible landing destinations for the veteran. While some have speculated over him being interested in returning to Miami, others have cited the Boston Celtics as front runners, with few believing he will join forces with Golden State.
However, the three organizations most often reported as peaking James’ interest are the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Now there is certainly a case to be made for each.
For starters, the 33-year-old finding himself in Hollywood seems likely, especially given his numerous business ventures outside the league and the fact that he recently bought property in Brentwood. The Lakers are on their way up again, with young guys like Kyle Kuzma paving the way. And it’s still firmly believed that Paul George will make his way over there this summer.
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James heading to Philadelphia would also make sense, given that it would allow him to stay in the Eastern Conference and that they were one of the hottest teams in the NBA this past season. With talent like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons to back him up, James could once again rise to the top of the conference; this time with help. Plus, there are already whispers of the 76ers looking into former Cavaliers general manager David Griffin, to take over for Bryan Colangelo.
When it comes to the Rockets, the obvious connection would be James Harden and Chris Paul, a duo that lit up the Western Conference in 2017-18, but still seem to have a piece missing. It’s no secret that James and Paul are friends too, both part of the so-labeled Banana Boat crew. However, now there is even more support for this theory. Provided by none other than former Heat headliner, Chris Bosh.
In a recent interview, Bosh told Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd that he sees James ending up in Houston.
"“I would guess that he goes to Houston,” Bosh said. “It’s like the next Avengers movie. Golden State with like 100 superheroes and then Houston with 100 superheroes and then they fight.”"
With the Rockets being able to eventually take down the Warriors.
"“With the dynamic that Houston has — you can argue that they could have taken Golden State down this year.”"
The former one third of Miami’s Big Three also likened this to Kevin Durant having joined Golden State.
"“Kind of like what Golden State did — KD went there. They teamed up and it’s like, ‘OK. beat this.’ And now I think it’s on another organization to get that same narrative.”"
Whether or not it would be the same narrative however, is up for debate. Durant chose to join a franchise in the same conference, one which had just barely beat his former team (the Oklahoma City Thunder) in the playoffs.
Nevertheless, with Bosh and James having formed quite a bond over the last ten years or so, perhaps he might be onto something.
Next: Miami Heat: Individual player grades for the 2017-18 starting five
Will the Miami Heat even find themselves in the James sweepstakes? The waiting game begins.