3 teams that could steal LeBron James in 2024
By Sam Penix
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
James' hometown team has already seen him come and go twice, so what's once more? The first time James departed in 2010, the Cavs struggled mightily for four years, but did accumulate plenty of high draft picks that ended up being used to build James' next squad.
The first piece was the aforementioned Kyrie Irving, followed by Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, Anthony Bennett, and Andrew Wiggins, the last of which never played for Cleveland because of what happened in the summer of 2014.
In an article with Sports Illustrated, James announced that he was returning to the Cavaliers, and after that, the league's worst-kept secret was that Wiggins would be traded for Minnesota Timberwolves' All-Star Kevin Love.
The Cavs added some ring-chasing veterans and looked like they were on their way to a title, until Love's shoulder was ripped out of its socket by the Boston Celtics' Kelly Olynyk in the first round of the playoffs, and Cleveland fell to the Golden State Warriors in the Finals, beginning one of the league's fiercest rivalries of the decade.
Fast-forward to today, and the Cavs are in much better shape after James' second departure. All-Stars Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and All-Defensive Team member Evan Mobley lead the group, while role players such as Caris LeVert, Max Strus, Georges Niang, and Isaac Okoro provide support.
The roster is top-heavy, and the team was dominated by the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs last season, but there is a plethora of young talent in that starting lineup, and all they're lacking is a physical offensive wing...