LeBron James answers whether Cavs owner Dan Gilbert will impact free agency decision - 'We're going to see'
The NBA Finals have yet to tip off, but already, fans are trying to figure out what’s going to happen when they’re over.
Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is a free agent after this season, and it’s yet to be determined whether he’ll stay in Cleveland or look to win another championship in a different city.
Many have speculated that James’ at times strained relationship with Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert will impact where he goes following the conclusion of the Finals.
In a recent interview with ESPN‘s Rachel Nichols, James would not give a clear answer when asked whether his relationship with Gilbert will factor into his decision.
“We’re going to see,” James said.
James and Gilbert have never really been the closest of friends, not since James announced he was leaving Cleveland and “taking his talents to South Beach” in a nationally televised interview back in 2010.
Gilbert responded with an open letter that blasted James’ “cowardly” decision, as well as his “selfishness” and “betrayal.”
James, of course, ended up coming back to Cleveland and won a championship there, though that doesn’t mean he always supports what the Cavaliers’ higher-ups do.
For example, he wanted the team to retain general manager David Griffin last summer (they didn’t) and was against the idea of trading point guard Kyrie Irving (the Cavaliers did anyway).
Still, James said he has a “great working relationship” with Gilbert.
“It’s not about me and Dan — we have a great working relationship,” James told Nichols. “It’s not like we’re not the best friends, and I don’t think you should be best friends with a player, and an owner shouldn’t be best friends unless I’m your father and that’s my son, and, OK, cool we could be great then. But I think it’s worked out for us both in these four years so far since I’ve been back.”
As for the future, James isn’t revealing his intentions until the season is over. But four years into his second stint with the Cavaliers, he’s pleased with what the team has been able to accomplish (one championship, four total NBA Finals appearances).
“I’ve tried to put this franchise at a level that is always seen in a positive light,” James said. “From a basketball standpoint, from a social standpoint, from a brand standpoint. I get a lot of the light and the headlines, but I’m one, as long as I’m here playing for this franchise, when you see the Cavaliers, I want you to think of prestige and a great organization.”
And for now, James is focused on this year’s Finals, despite the fact that earlier in the season, he wasn’t even sure if the Cavs would make it to the playoffs.
“It was at points where, ‘OK, will the Cavs even make the playoffs?'” James said. “And I was like, ‘OK, I am not settling for that conversation. Now that is just ridiculous. Now I have got to get into the postseason.'”
As we now know, the Cavaliers recovered and made it through three rounds of the playoffs. Game 1 of the NBA Finals, where Cleveland will take on Golden State for the fourth consecutive year, is set for Thursday night.
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