NBA Free Agency: How tanking might be the best way to lure LeBron James
By David Early
You can tank for a top NBA Draft pick , almost a third of the NBA seems to be doing it now, but can you also tank for an elite free agent?
There have been lots of rumors based on reports that LeBron James’ free agency short-list involves four teams: The Cavs, Sixers, Lakers, and Rockets.
It’s tank season and there’s a lot to find pretty gross about it. A significant group of fans understand that while there may not be any guarantees in sports (or life) that having three or four very high draft picks (and maybe a few late ones) can dramatically alter a team’s fortune.
But much fewer would argue that doing so for 3-4 seasons could actually help you lure elite free agents. That whole “winning culture” thing. But can it? The short list of places LeBron James is considering at least raises the question.
Houston’s place on this list makes sense; they have the best record in the NBA but still may not have enough fire-power to top Golden State come the playoffs. But then, we have three of the worst teams in the league over their respective…let’s say very recent years of misery.
Three of these teams have recently been historically, and at times deliberately, bad! For like four or more consecutive years! Doesn’t it seem counterintuitive that in LeBron’s quest to be “The Greatest of All-Time” he’d even consider joining a team that had just been the worst team in the sport over a four-year span?
Well that’s what he did when he returned to Cleveland. And if he chooses the Lakers or the Sixers this summer, it would mean he did so twice in five years. I’ve heard of bandwagoning. But would this make LeBron a “Tankwagoner?”
Even if the misery was not always deliberate or intentional, even if we the fans, or free-agents may be a bit more understanding if a team stinks due to injury, misfortune, or front office bungling, the Draft Lottery probabilities do not ask questions.
The ping-pong balls don’t care how they arrived. They just bounce around. And everyone, fans and players alike, can get excited for lots of exciting young prospects and a free-agency period with loads of cap space to play with. Maybe if you’re going to stink it helps to really really stink for a few years and at least offer a glimmer of hope to anyone paying attention.
If your team is tanking now (shout out Bulls, Grizzlies, Magic, Hawks, Mavericks, Kings, Knicks, Suns) and you hate it, you may feel better seeing some of these next results. Here is a quick refresher on how the finalists for LeBron may have positioned themselves to get here.