The King is going to see this season through, no matter what happens in Cleveland.
LeBron James is determined to see the remainder of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers through, according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes. He will not waive his no-trade clause to pursue opportunities with other teams this year.
James is one of only three players in the NBA to hold a no-trade clause, including Carmelo Anthony and Dirk Nowitzki. He is expected to exercise his player option to test free agency next summer.
The Cavaliers have had an offseason uncharacteristically bad for a team that’s made three consecutive NBA Finals appearances.
To recap, Cleveland lost its general manager, then lowballed and eventually lost Chauncey Billups as team president. They agreed to trade Iman Shumpert to the Rockets only for Houston to pivot and sign P.J. Tucker. They didn’t draft anyone in the deepest class this decade, missed on both Jimmy Butler and Paul George, then missed in free agency — their only signings were Jeff Green, Jose Calderon and Turkish rookie Cedi Osman.
Now, Kyrie Irving’s requested a trade and the team looks in shambles. Still, LeBron will stand pat. He’s not going to bail on the city he brought its first-ever NBA championship.
No matter where you stand on The King, you’ve got to respect his nobility, not wanting to ditch his squad midway.