Philadelphia 76ers superstar LeBron James revealed how close the Cleveland Cavaliers came to signing him in free agency.
Despite being 41 years old, pretty much every title contender in the NBA courted James during free agency this summer, with the legend being heavily linked to a return to Cleveland, the team he won the NBA Championship with in 2016.
In the end, however, James chose to sign a two-year, veteran’s minimum deal with the 76ers, leaving the Cavaliers to change gears and sign Peyton Watson instead.
So, how close were the Cavaliers to signing James? He said they were certainly in the mix.
LeBron James Says Cavaliers Were In the Mix
Speaking to reporters after the 76ers came back and beat the Cavaliers 114-106 in a historic comeback win on Thursday night, James admitted that he considered a third tour of duty in Cleveland before ultimately choosing to sign with Philadelphia, where he expects to spend the rest of his NBA career.
“The nature of the meeting, I probably won’t discuss much, but it was a consideration for sure. I mean, that’s a team trying to build toward the championship and things of that nature. I was trying to decide where I wanted to go with the rest of my career, to finish my career or whatever the case may be, the next step, and there was a lot of consideration for sure,” James said (via Cleveland.com).
Cavs Moving On Without LeBron James
Although the Cavaliers badly wanted to bring James back to Cleveland to finish his career, ultimately it was James’s choice to sign with Philadelphia instead.
With James deciding to head elsewhere, the Cavaliers instead signed Watson to be the final piece of their starting five, and they are hoping that he can help bring another championship to Cleveland just over a decade after James last led the team to one.
Based on Thursday’s game against Philadelphia, however, it’s clear the Cavaliers still have a lot of work to do if they are going to be a championship contender, and one that won’t have James to help them to do so.
LeBron James Reveals How Close Cavaliers Came to Signing Him