LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will have to look forward to the off-season after being eliminated in the NBA Finals by the Golden State Warriors in 6 games. This was in no-way a disappointing season. They went from being at the bottom of the East to being a top 2 team in the Eastern Conference, LeBron James will do that to you. Now Cavaliers GM David Griffin will have a lot of actions to take. Kevin Love and LeBron James can opt-out of their contracts. Iman Shumpert and Matthew Dellavedova are restricted free agents, J.R Smith is a free agent and Shawn Marion is retiring (even though that didn’t matter). Despite all these players being variables for the Cavs, GM Griffin thinks two of his biggest ‘fishes’ to fry will return to Cleveland for one more title run.
According to Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com:
Griffin said Thursday he expects both James and Kevin Love to become free agents later this month and expects both to return next season. Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert and Matthew Dellavedova will receive qualifying offers, making them restricted free agents that will allow the Cavs to match any offers they receive in free agency. Griffin would like to keep all three, essentially maintaining the core of a team that won 53 games and advanced to the Finals for the second time in team history.
“We very much intend to keep this group together,” Griffin said. “You look at that as a group that has the potential to be special, special good.”
Intentions are much more different than what happens, but Griffin is right. Love has already hinted that he will probably return to Cleveland (after missing 2 of your star players and making it to 6 games in the NBA Finals, you tend to re-consider). LeBron wouldn’t DARE go anywhere else at this point, either here or Miami for him. So it is a safe bet to say that the Cavaliers will return with the majority of their team and hopefully some new additions that can help them beat teams like the Golden State Warriors. Personally, I think Love may consider leaving and going to Los Angeles, Dallas, San Antonio or any other place that can throw money at him. This would have been an easy decision if LeBron James didn’t make the NBA Finals. Now Love may be reconsidering his free agency.
