LeBron James left no doubt that Cleveland was part of the conversation before he wound up in Philadelphia.
Speaking after the 76ers’ matchup with the Cavaliers on Thursday night, James confirmed that Cleveland was seriously on his mind as he weighed where to spend the next stage of his career.
“The nature of the meeting, I probably won’t discuss much. But it was in consideration for sure.
I mean, obviously, as a team trying to build towards a championship and things of that nature, I was trying to decide where I wanted to go with the rest of my career, to finish my career, or the next step. So, they had a lot of consideration for sure,” James said.
The idea that James might land with the Cavaliers had been circulating for months. During the summer, Bill Simmons said he believed James was headed to Cleveland, and he made clear he thought the move was about chasing a title.
“It was the decision he thought he could make to try to win a title. I don't think there's any other reason he went to [Philly].
It's not like, 'I've always wanted to play for the Sixers.' Listen, he was going to [the Cleveland Cavaliers].
I don't know what happened. I can't wait for the story.
Something happened," Simmons said.
Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson also spoke as if a deal with James was within reach. He said the Cavaliers were preparing for the possibility, and admitted the news hit hard when it didn’t happen.
“We were anticipating and excited to land LeBron and then you have that news, having gone through free agency a lot, when you're expecting something to happen and it doesn't happen, that first day or two, you're just like, you're depressed, quite honestly. That's the emotions of it," Atkinson told the media.
James ultimately chose Philadelphia, reportedly because of the way the roster was put together. But Cleveland was clearly in the mix, and his comments confirmed that the Cavaliers were more than just a casual option. For a while, they looked like a real destination before James settled on the 76ers.
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