5 reasons LeBron James’ return means title repeat for Cavs
By John Buhler
3. Cleveland will maintain inflated free agency appeal.
Cleveland is not a traditional marquee free agency destination. The Cavaliers front office historically has been one of the most dysfunctional in the NBA and playing in Cleveland during harsh winters isn’t all that appealing to prospective free agents.
However, Cleveland is able to overcome these persistent obstacles in NBA free agency, as the Cavaliers organization holds the ultimate trump card in James. There may not be a player in the NBA today that prospective free agents would want to play with more than James.
James is the unique superstar in the same vein as Magic Johnson that is more than willing to take over a game by passing the basketball in making plays for his teammates. Players won’t have to sacrifice shot attempts to play with James in Cleveland.
Wherever he decides to play, free agents will flock towards James’ team. Since James has committed to another year with the Cavaliers, Cleveland will enter 2016 NBA free agency as a marquee destination, albeit an inflated one. This will allow the Cavaliers to essentially reload after potentially losing players like Timofey Mozgov and Matthew Dellavedova this summer to other teams.
Next: 2. Cleveland remains the overwhelming favorite to win the East.