The World Cup has understandably garnered the sports world’s attention these days. But there’s a storm brewing in the NBA, one that could change the landscape of the league for the next few years.
The storm’s name? LeBron James.
You’ve probably heard by now that the four-time league MVP is an unrestricted free agent, which means that he can sign with any team that has the money available to meet his max-salary demands. Naturally, such an event has captivated a lot of basketball fans, so much that odds are being offered on the teams in the running to acquire the services of King James.
The Miami Heat is the obvious favorites to retain LeBron. After all, he’s led the team to two NBA championships and four straight NBA Finals appearance. They got humiliated a month ago by the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals but make no mistake; the Heat are still the odds-on favorites at 1/4 odds to get LeBron’s signature in the coming days.
In the event that LeBron does decide to take his talents somewhere else, the team James spurned to come to Miami back in 2010, the Cleveland Cavaliers, are the next team on the list at 5/1 odds. Talk about coming full circle.
Outside of the Heat and the Cavaliers, the odds drop significantly to the Houston Rockets at 19/2 odds, followed by the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Clippers, both of whom are at 9/1 odds that LeBron signs with either team.
As for the other team in Los Angeles, don’t be too optimistic that LeBron joins Kobe in the wine and gold next season. Odds of that happening are 20/1, which isn’t the kind of long-shot odds that smart bettors should pay attention to.
In earnest, it really is between the Heat and well, nobody else. Not even the Cavaliers. LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all opted out of their contracts to give Heat president Pat Riley significant cap space to sign impact free agents before the trio signs their respective new deals. It’s a smart move that ensures a better supporting cast for LeBron yet still allows him, Wade and Bosh to sign their deals.
So if you’re eyeing a LeBron move somewhere else, the Cavs at 5/1 is looking more and more like a sucker bet. Maybe the Rockets at 19/2, or the Clippers at 9/1? If you ask us though, he’s taking his talents nowhere because it’s staying in South Beach.
