During the NBA season that just ended, there have been many rumors about the future of LeBron Jamesalso ended up at the center of market negotiations given the expiring contract of the yellow-violet star. On James, there was strong pressure from the Golden State Warriors, who would have liked to bring LeBron to the bay to form a phenomenal duo with Steph Curry.
That the two understand each other wonderfully, we could admire it at the recent Olympic review in Paris. In fact, they were the two main architects of the stars and stripes gold. Who knows what would have happened if the two had met again in San Francisco during the season?
The negotiation to bring LeBron James to the Warriors involved the owners of the two franchises directly, a sign that the deal was of considerable importance. It is known that in the American world the owners rarely make any moves themselves. When they do, it is because the economic (and not only) scope of the deal is very important.
The negotiations, however, ran aground at the most important point. According to what was reported Marc Steinthe one who put a firm stop to the negotiations would have been Rich Paul, LeBron’s very powerful agent. Here’s what the journalist reports:
“Multiple league sources say the reported talks between the teams at the time never got very deep largely because James’ agent, Rich Paul, was strongly opposed to the idea of James moving from Southern California to Northern California. Sources say Paul begged both teams to back off the idea largely because he wanted to insulate James from potential backlash over switching teams for the fourth time in his career.”
A speech to protect the status of his client, even if Lebron’s place in NBA history would never have been in question even with his transfer. As everyone knows, James extended his contract with the Lakers, putting an end to a possible pairing with his friend and fellow citizen Steph Curry. This failed negotiation will also rightfully enter the biggest “what if” of recent NBA history.