NBA rumors: Most likely landing spots for LeBron James in 2018

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

Despite all of the talk about James leaving, the Cavaliers still seem to have the best odds of signing him to a new deal in 2018. My reasoning behind this? For all we know, these rumors flying around are baloney.

Especially if the Cavaliers do end up trading away Kyrie Irving, they’re left with nearly nothing in terms of star power. We all know Kevin Love isn’t going to carry this bunch of overpriced, overrated players LeBron has convinced Cleveland to assemble. The only guy that can keep this team relevant is James.

It just so happens that leaving isn’t as easy as just packing up and hoping on a plane. James would be leaving behind a city that has poured its heart and soul into his NBA career… again. It’s where he grew up, where his family lives and where all of his most diehard fans reside.

Sure, the Cavaliers did themselves a disservice by cutting the cord with David Griffin. LeBron obviously wasn’t happy with that decision, but I don’t think it’s a deal-breaker. It just means the franchise now has the next few months to mend fences and convince James there’s still a contender in Cleveland as long as he stays put.

Next: Cavs' wildly ambitious FA targets in next 3 years

No matter how many rumors we hear in the coming months, I’m going to assume James will be a Cavalier in 2018-19. That is, until that earth-shattering Players Tribune article pops up in my Twitter timeline in early July…