Is everyone else doing the Miami Heat a favor?
Last night, the league was taken by storm, by perhaps the biggest Woj-bomb in history.
LeBron James is leaving behind the Cleveland Cavaliers yet again, this time for the Los Angeles Lakers.
There’s levels to this…
For starters, he’s agreed to a four-year, $154 million deal; a much longer-term commitment than most people expected. In fact, many are speculating that by that time, his son will be in the league, allowing them both to play together.
It also came after Paul George announced he would be re-signing to the Oklahoma City Thunder on a four-year, $137 million contract: a move which most people assumed instantly diminished the possibility of James heading to Hollywood.
But perhaps the most shocking part of it all, is that James joined the Western Conference.
Something that Miami Heat fans should really be thankful for.
With the Eastern Conference already significantly weaker than the West, James’ move opens up an entirely new realm of possibilities for the Heat.
Having finished sixth in the East this past season, 2018-19 will be the perfect time for Miami to move up the standings. And not just because the Cavaliers are now likely going to completely fall apart either.
The Philadelphia 76ers made some moves this past weekend in order to try and make room for Kawhi Leonard, only for reports to then come out that he’s only interested in heading out West with James. In response, the 76ers quickly re-signed J.J. Redick to a one-year deal, but still now have to move forward without both Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova, two major factors in the team’s offseason success.
In comparison, other teams like the Washington Wizards may remain mostly stagnant, hoping for an easier road ahead without James and company in the way. Which in turn, would leave better free agent options behind for the Heat.
There’s no question that James moving West will help all the Eastern teams move ahead, but it seems that president Pat Riley may reap the most benefits by waiting to see how his competitors react, before making any moves himself.
Miami did strike a two-year agreement with Derrick Jones Jr., who was on a two-way contract in 2017-18. And the front office is supposedly still prioritizing bringing back Wayne Ellington.
But otherwise, there’s been no action coming out of South Florida just yet.
Heat Nation has been vocal about wanting the team to shake things up this offseason, but with recent developments, it may be a while until things start to move.
Next: What's expected from the Miami Heat's free agency period?
The Miami Heat have even more to thank LeBron James for now.