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Here's Where LeBron James Should Go if He Leaves the Cleveland Cavaliers

The world's best player can't do everything by himself. In San Antonio, he wouldn't have to.
Foro: Soobum Im - USA TODAY Sports

On the verge of getting swept from the NBA Finals for the second time in his career, soon to turn 33, and currently carrying a roster that has very few, if any, realistic avenues to improve this summer, where does LeBron James go from here?

Rolling things back with the Cleveland Cavaliers is perfectly fine. A championship-round loss could leave the Cavs hungry, and barring a major injury, the franchise figures to waltz through the Eastern Conference for a fourth consecutive season in 2017-18. Moreover, it's hardly inconceivable that Cleveland could have a better shot against Golden State at this time next year. Tables can quickly turn over the course of 82 regular season games and four grueling playoff rounds. Steph Curry might tweak his ankle. Kevin Durant might pull a hamstring.

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On the other hand, Cleveland won't be favored against Golden State anytime in the near future. The Cavs are a flawed team, especially on the defensive end, and held together by LeBron's genius. It's safe to assume his athleticism will decline as time moves forward. This year could have been his last solid shot to defeat the Warriors, and instead, a sweep seems imminent.

So what happens next?

Well, James has already accomplished his primary goal in Cleveland. He did what so many great athletes (including himself in his first stint with the Cavs) couldn't, ending the city's epic championship drought by raising a banner in 2016. He is also guaranteed $33.2 million next season, and has a $35.2 million player option the following year. So much can happen between now and then—including a second championship with the Cavaliers—but it's fair to assume that he'll opt out after next season and become an unrestricted free agent at age 33.

Asking "Will LeBron leave?" is far less interesting and clouded than "Where should he go?" There are many factors that go into any player's decision in free agency, and it's a leap to assume maximizing his chance of obtaining another ring is James' sole priority. There's also no evidence in either direction to hint at whether he'll stay in Cleveland or not. If James does walk, it's very hard picturing him going to a team that can't immediately win a championship. With Kevin Durant reportedly willing to sacrifice his salary for the sake of retaining the Warriors' key role players, most notably Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston, Golden State is going to be great for the foreseeable future. It's tough envisioning a scenario where another team takes them down over the next three or four years. Any team with a chance will need someone with James' talent, poise, and experience.

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James will not be the best player in the world forever. But coming off a magnificent 39-point, 11-rebound, nine-assist masterpiece in Game 3 of the Finals, he still sits atop the basketball pyramid. James' basic and advanced numbers in this series are absurd. He's been efficient and excellent under intense pressure and a borderline-unprecedented physical burden, assisting nearly half his team's baskets whenever on the floor, logging the True Shooting percentage of a dunk-happy big man, and averaging a freaking triple-double. James has not been shy. He's driving the ball 15.7 times per game, which is exactly three more times than Isaiah Thomas' regular-season-leading average. The NBA's landscape will look very different next summer, and there are dozens of variables that can erase any and every reason for James to leave the Cavaliers. But if the Cavs perform poorly in the 2018 Finals or don't even get there, wouldn't it be logical, or at least fun, to think about him joining the San Antonio Spurs?

Photo by Troy Taormina - USA TODAY Sports

If you're Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford, the pitch to James is pretty simple: Wouldn't it be cool to join forces and take down the greatest team we've ever seen? To end a dynasty before it reaches cruising altitude? James would join Kawhi Leonard—who may be the world's best player in two years—and play for Popovich, a head coach he obviously respects and admires. Most conveniently, San Antonio's cap sheet should be flexible enough to afford James without gutting any holdovers already in place, assuming LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green opt out of their deals that summer. Imagine 34-year-old LeBron seamlessly fading into the Scottie Pippen phase of his career as Leonard's second fiddle. It's basketball bliss. His responsibilities would no longer be otherworldly, and he'd be playing for an organization that does a better job extending careers than any other. It may be too late to fully save James from the toll his body's already taken, but the Spurs' approach to in-season rest sure won't hurt. If Chris Paul joins the Spurs this summer, which is unlikely given Pau Gasol's player option, there's a path for San Antonio to boast a Leonard, Paul, LeBron Big 3 in 2018-19. We don't know how dramatically Paul and James will decline between now and then, or how deep a roster can be filled out behind them, but that trio should account for enough firepower to at the very least do battle with the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

If Paul isn't in the cards, the Spurs may have enough cap space to add another max-level player entering free agency in 2018 alongside James: think DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas, or Paul George.

For now, all of this is speculation. But if James wants to win another championship before he retires, teaming up with Leonard and Popovich could very well the best way to do it.