LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. So, what do the Cleveland Cavaliers do now?
LeBron James, the greatest player in Cleveland Cavaliers history, is not coming home this summer.
The NBA legend signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Cleveland thought LeBron would come home to play with Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Instead, LeBron is now teammates with Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
The Cavaliers will re-sign Harden soon. They are also pursuing Jonathan Kuminga and Mario Hezonja, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Kuminga played for the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks last season. The Hawks made the forward an unrestricted free agent by declining his team option for next season.
Meanwhile, Hezonja wants to return to the NBA after playing overseas for the last couple of years. He last played in the NBA in 2019-20 with the Portland Trail Blazers.
In 36 games with the Warriors and Hawks last season, Kuminga averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 46.3% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc and 72.4% from the free-throw line.
The Cavaliers can offer Kuminga a starting spot alongside Harden, Mitchell, Mobley and Allen. Kenny Atkinson coached Kuminga in Golden State, so the two have a relationship already.
Hezonja was the fifth overall pick in the 2015 draft. He has career NBA averages of 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. The 31-year-old has played for the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks and Trail Blazers.
The Cavaliers made the Eastern Conference Finals last season. They lost to the Knicks in four games. To make matters worse, Dean Wade left Cleveland for Philadelphia this summer in free agency, so Wade will play with LeBron on the 76ers.
It will be fascinating to see if the Cavaliers get Kuminga and/or Hezonja. The front office has to do something big after losing LeBron to the 76ers.
It's too bad we won't get to see LeBron play for Cleveland again. The King said the 76ers will be his last stop in the NBA.
In two stints (2003-10, 2014-18) with the Cavaliers, LeBron averaged 27.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He won two MVPs and one Finals MVP and made 10 All-Star and 10 All-NBA teams.
