The first weekend of Free Agency 2018 is coming to an end. There has already been one big statement with Paul George returning to OKC to try to compete and contend. Then we have the other much less notable signings of stars Kevin Durant and Chris Paul returning back to their teams. With Durant already winning two titles and showing no signs of wanting to play for another team, he would’ve shocked everyone to switch teams. And with Chris Paul opting into his player option last year to play with the Rockets and make the salary cap work, it is no surprise they gave him the max contract this year. Then with them being only one game away from the NBA finals why would he not want to run it back with them. There have also been some other smaller signings and the looming thoughts of where Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James.

First, the announcement of Paul George took some people for a surprise including myself. I thought it was very likely that PG goes to his hometown team and is the first big signing the Lakes have had since Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgof. All jokes aside they had a chance to really start a new era of the Lakers franchise with adding PG and hopefully leading to LeBron and Kawhi landing there as well. But with PG going back to OKC that changes a lot of things. For OKC, their risk of trading for PG has now paid off as they won’t lose him to free agency. They have two stars in Russ and PG to build around. That’s a pretty good start. They have other solid role players in Steve Adams and Andre Roberson that can make a positive impact on the team. However, they still have Carmelo Anthony on the roster. with him opting into his contract and PG signing the max, the Thunder will pay nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to field a team next year because of luxury tax. That is a ludicrous amount considering this team got bounced in the first round of the playoffs to a team that was led by a rookie. Because of all of this, the pressure is on the Thunder to perform and give results starting next year or the Thunder will be paying a lot of money not to make it to the semifinals of the Western Conference playoffs.

Second, the resigning of PG back to the Thunder has to be on the mind of Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Last year, the Lakers decided not to offer a good enough trade package to acquire PG because they believed that no matter what PG would be wearing a Laker jersey the following year. With that plan now blowing up in their face, one would have to believe the pressure to trade for Kawhi has increased significantly. The Lakers cannot afford to lose Kawhi to another team after fumbling the PG situation. And, if they don’t acquire Kawhi, they might as well write off LeBron as well. LeBron isn’t going to go to a team that is centered around a lot of guys who are in their second or third year without any experience in the playoffs or winning in the NBA. The package for Kawhi will probably include the mix of Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and the assortment of picks. I doubt all three of those guys are part of that deal, but I am not sure how high the stakes are for Kawhi are right now. Then there are other teams such as the 76ers and Celtics in the running for Kawhi that can offer just as good packages as the Lakers can. The 76ers have the likes of Dario Saric, Robert Covington, Zhaire Smith, and the 2021 Miami Heat unprotected first round pick that they can offer. On the other hand, the Celtics can outbid any team for Kawhi if they really wanted him. Everyone knows the Celtics have all the young talent and future draft picks. They are multiple options they can throw out there for Kawhi. But to be honest, I don’t see why they should. Kawhi’s situation and meltdown in San Antonio is bizarre. Nobody knows if he was seriously hurt or if he was just upset because he felt like the team betrayed him. In my opinion, why would the Celtics want to give away assets to bring in the guy who couldn’t make it work with the best coach in the league. Keep your young guys together and make a run at it with those guys considering you were a game away from the finals.

And then there is LeBron James. The best player in the world. Once again he could be on the move. The options on the table for LeBron in my mind are the Lakers, Cavs, 76ers, and the Rockets. I don’t see any possibility of LeBron going to the Warriors or the Celtics no matter who says what about LeBron unless LeBron says it himself. And the report about the Nuggets making a push for LeBron is just ridiculous. In what world does anyone see LeBron deciding to play for a Nuggets team that didn’t even make the playoffs last year. So lets start with what seems to be the favorite choice of the Lakers. Obviously the lifestyle of LA is the most appetizing of this decision as of right now since Kawhi is not on the team. A good place to raise his kids and the opportunities for him to start his next career in the entertainment business is right there. Then the Lakers can go out next year and try to allure another free agent such as Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walker, Kawhi Leonard (if he isn’t already on the team), Klay Thompson, Kevin Love, Al Horford, Tobias Harris, and, the most unlikely player to team back up with LeBron, Kyrie Irving. The Lakers might be a 2 year plan to win a title, but with LeBron you’re always a contender. Next are the hometown Cavs. Being the hometown team is about all the Cavs have going for them. They have almost no valuable trade assets to really improve their team to beat either the Warriors or the Rockets in the finals and to keep up with the 76ers or Celtics in their own conference. Kevin Love isn’t a desired player anymore because of his age and the drop in his production since arriving in Cleveland. I can see LeBron signing a one year deal with the Cavs again, but I don’t think this is the favorite right now. Next is the 76ers. The 76ers have a plethora of young talent that has so much potential. The only problem is the team is built in no way shape or form for LeBron. LeBron strives when he has the ball in his hands, has shooters around him, and another person who can create their own shot. And ever since LeBron has really emerged as the LeBron we know him now, he has never played with an old fashion big guy down in the post. What do the 76ers have? Almost all of the things LeBron doesn’t need around him. Ben Simmons and Embiid can create their own shot but Embiid is more of an old fashion post player who can sometimes bring his defender outside. And if I were LeBron coming down the floor, I would not want my spot up shooters who are supposed to be spacing the floor to be Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz. The guy who refuses to shoot anything outside the paint and the guy who literally forgot how to shoot. Adding LeBron to this team will probably make this team the one of the most talented teams and at the same time one of the worst shooting teams. I don’t see the fit here so I doubt this actually happens. Then there are the Rockets. This will require a sign and trade with the Cavs. The Cavs would have to take on the Ryan Anderson contract to make this deal work. Because of that, I just don’t see how this deal works unless the Rockets also unload a large quantity of future draft picks. This deal is the least likely to happen. My prediction is LeBron will be a Laker next year, but the Cavs are a close second and possibly the frontrunner if the Lakers cannot acquire another star player. Nonetheless, LeBron has the chance to shift the power in the league once again.

The most exciting part about Kawhi and Lebron is that all of this could be decided in the next couple of hours. Or it could be at the end of the week. Hopefully for us fans it is sooner rather than later. And who knows what else will happen in the NBA when it comes to trades. At this time last year, none of us thought that Kyrie Irving was going to be traded. This should be the start of an exciting NBA off season.