Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 goals for the 2018 offseason

2. Re-sign LeBron James to a max contract

This decision will be largely outside of the control of the Cleveland Cavaliers. No amount of leverage, negotiation or strategy will be able to force LeBron James to stay on the Cavs.

But that doesn’t mean the team does nothing. Its top goal, from the minute the season ended — and honestly long before — has been to recruit James to stay. LeBron James, no matter the context, makes a team an instant contender, and relevant in a way the Cavaliers will never be without him.

From conversations between James and team personnel, to how the team uses its lottery pick, to potential trade discussions — even rumors leaked to the media need to be part of a long recruiting pitch to the greatest player in the league.

When the Cavaliers sit down with James to give their free agency pitch, everyone in the room must be keyed into a path forward — one that doesn’t end with James’ hand in a cast, surrounded by players who let him down in the end. How can this team remake itself? It’s not easy, but sitting on the status quo will not get them back to the NBA Finals in an improving Eastern Conference.

James can make more money in Cleveland, his family roots are in Cleveland, and the fans in northeastern Ohio love him like no other fans ever will. He has found success in Cleveland, even if he has just one ring to show for it. Will everything the Cavs have to offer be enough? That’s a question only LeBron James can offer, but it’s a question that has to be asked by the Cavaliers.