LeBron James will NOT waive his no-trade clause for the Cavs

LeBron James will reportedly not waive his no-trade clause to aid the Cleveland Cavaliers in sorting out their current situation, according to ESPN's Chris Haynes.


The situation I am referring to, for the unaware, is the recent news that Kyrie Irving has requested a trade from the team, reportedly unhappy to be tied to a franchise effectively beholden to whatever LeBron decides to do when his contract is up. This, however, may not be the sole factor at play, with owner Dan Gilbert repeatedly intervening to prevent his then-General Manager David Griffin from making trades to keep the Cavs in contention, then firing him once much of the prime action of free agency - and all open GM positions - were exhausted.

Whether Gilbert actually cares to contend (and pay the tax it will cost) or no, one thing is certain - for the present, James intends to give his current situation it's best shot. This is sage advice even given the internal chaos gripping the organization, as a team with a chance to win a title is by definition a rare thing, and even now the Cavs are one of the more likely teams to get to the finals. Anything can happen over the course of a season, so staying in a bad situation with lots of potential is probably better than dropping a no-trade clause just to get out of one.


That said, I am sure I'm not alone in enjoying the show, as well as the potential path to the NBA Finals it could open for Boston, but folks should wait until actual dominoes start to fall to that end before celebrating. That whole "you never know what could happen" thing could translate to a move making such a Finals trip less likely for the Celts, so for now I'm going to let summer do its thing, and re-assess the situation when more than hurt feelings and subterfuge are the problems facing Boston's chief rival in the East.

For more stories about the offseason on CelticsLife, click here. For more by Justin, click here.



Image: USA TODAY Sports
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