I would absolutely jump for joy if Lebron decided to end his career with the Mavs. First of all, I think it would be a perfect fit on pretty much every level, and I think we would become instant title contenders. Maybe even favorites. Beyond that, it would be a dream come true for me personally. He's be a fair margin my all-time favorite non-Maverick player. I fucking love Lebron, and I don't care who doesn't like it. Lebron rules. Fight me.
I also totally disagree with the comments about his ago being too big to accept a non-alpha dog role. I think it's the exact opposite. I think Lebron has wanted for YEARS to be able to play a lesser role. If you think carrying the load he does year after year after year at his age is easy and isn't extremely taxing on him mentally and physically, I think you're severely mistaken. I think Lebron would LOVE to be the third option on a team that wins the title.
That being said, it's not happening. While I don't think is ego would stop him from taking a lesser role, I do think it will stop him from playing for a massive discount. He's not signing anywhere for the MLE, much less the minimum. I don't think he believes in that type of thing. I think he believes that stars should get paid like stars and shouldn't have take discounts so teams can afford to overpay players with far less talent than the star in question. (FWIW I tend to agree with him.)
I honestly think he just stays with the Lakers and ends his career there. I could be totally wrong about that, but it's what makes the most sense for him from a business and a career-beyond-basketball standpoint. I don't see him going to yet another team to ring-chase on last year, and certainly not at a discount. And, I think he probably thinks that he can probably make one more run with the Lakers, because the Lakers being the Lakers always have a shot at landing a big, splashy name. The name that has been getting tossed around a lot is Trae Young. While I don't think someone like Trae Young is going to make the Lakers title contenders again, I think Lebron probably does believe that.
If Cleveland or Miami were on the cusp of being championship teams, and he was the missing piece, I could see him returning to either of those places for one last run. But I don't see him going to yet another franchise for the very end of his career. I don't see him him here or in Philly or anywhere else. I could end up eating these words, but I fully expect to see him retire in purple and gold.
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