LeBron James was mentioned in numerous rumors in the past days, suggesting that the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player could leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time in his career.
James left Cleveland in 2010 and played four seasons with the Miami Heat before he decided to return to the Cavaliers in 2014. And just in his second season back in a Cavaliers uniform, James is reportedly thinking of turning his back on Cleveland again, but popular NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports thinks it will not happen.
Wojnarowski, who is known for giving reliable rumors and impending transactions in the NBA, said that James cannot afford to leave Cleveland again because it will not be a good move career-wise.
"If LeBron James leaves Cleveland, here's where he goes: infamy," Wojnarowski said when asked about the possibility of James leaving the Cavaliers this summer. "And that'll be the final stop of his NBA career."
James, who is looking to win his third NBA championship and first in a Cavaliers jersey, signed a two-year deal worth $46.97 million last summer. His contract has a player option for next season, which raised doubts about his commitment to the Cavaliers. James insisted that signing a one-plus-one deal is just a business move.
Wojnarowski agreed and said that James' one-plus-one deal should not be a cause for concern for Cavaliers fans, insisting that the superstar forward is aware of the ramifications of leaving Cleveland for the second time.
"You should ignore any threats being made about him using that one-year contract to leave the Cavaliers again," Wojnarowski continued. "Better than anyone else, James knows the consequences awaiting if he does that again and that's why you can count on him remaining with the Cavaliers."
When he returned to Cleveland, James promised to end the title drought of the Cavaliers. The 31-year-old came close to fulfilling that goal last season, but the Cavs lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games in the 2015 NBA Finals despite taking a 2-1 lead in the series.
The Cavaliers are currently on top of the Eastern Conference standings with their 44-18 record, but it remains to be seen whether or not they can reach their peak form in time for the playoffs. Following their 106-103 loss to the depleted Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, James admitted that they are not yet ready for the playoffs.
"I can sit up here and say that we're a team that's ready to start the playoffs tomorrow, but we're not," James said via ESPN. "We're still learning. We still have things that happen on the court that just, that shouldn't happen."
