Knicks: Is LeBron James a Legitimate Free Agency Option?

Marc Berman of The New York Post recently discussed the possibility of LeBron James joining forces with close friend Carmelo Anthony on the New York Knicks. James has a $21.6 million player option for 2015-16 and will become an unrestricted free agent in 2016—right on time for the rising salary cap and new CBA.

The question is, could that actually be possible? Could James be something of a modern day Robin Hood, sacrificing his reputation for the sake of his friends’ legacies and reputations?

Should James give his home state a long-awaited title, could he then make the move to New York City to help Anthony win his first ring?

Chances are, the answer is no.

James has a wife—an Akron, Ohio native—and two kids, and while I cannot speak on matters pertaining to his family, a 30-year-old man and a 26-year-old man tend to make different decisions. Thus, leaving Cleveland for a major market—again—might be out of the question.

Living in the state he and his wife were both raised in certainly sounds ideal. In fact, Joe Vardon of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports that James called speculation that he could leave Cleveland, “Outlandish.”

"“I’m here to build, build something great in the present and the future, and that’s the reason I’m back,” James said, prior to the Cavaliers’ 96-80 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the second straight game he’s missed because of a sore left knee.“I’ve got no other reason to have to continue to talk about things that’s so outlandish. So, I’m here, this is where I’ll be, and this is where I’m comfortable,” he said.The “outlandish” he was referring to was the notion that he was considering leaving the Cavaliers, possibly after this season."

In the City of Dreams, however, it’d be uncharacteristic for New Yorkers to do anything but that: dream.

The Knicks spent the better part of a decade, if not longer, being the antithesis of a free agent hot spot. There were relatively big names, such as Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph, but no bonafide, All-NBA type of talents.

And then Amar’e Stoudemire came along.

Say what you will about STAT’s tenure with the Knicks, but he’s a four-time All-NBA honoree with significant postseason experience. He came to New York at a time in which no one else would, and thus, things began to fall into place.

Amar’e Stoudemire put the New York Knicks back on the map as a free agent destination. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Superstar scorer Carmelo Anthony arrived via trade and then defending NBA champion Tyson Chandler spurned the Dallas Mavericks to don a Knicks uniform. New York never won a title, but their stars, including J.R. Smith, took home a scoring title and both the Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year awards.

Sprinkle in the incredibly profitable Linsanity episode with Jeremy Lin and New York City proved to be as powerful as ever in terms of landing and breeding stars.

James is in another echelon entirely as a two-time Finals MVP and four-time NBA MVP, but there is this, per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

The disclaimer that must be provided: no team plays 82 home games per year. It could just as easily be hyperbole as it could be a preview of the future.

Should the Knicks land the face of the NBA, however, one thing is clear: Cleveland needs a title.

James returned from a glorious four-year tenure with the Miami Heat to bring the Cavaliers a championship. Fresh off of the Ohio State Buckeyes winning the national championship in college football, Cleveland is hungry for success of its own.

Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) greets Cleveland Cavaliers player LeBron James in the fourth quarter against the Oregon Ducks in the 2015 CFP National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

If James can bring the city its first title since 1964, when the Cleveland Barons won the Calder Cup and the Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship, this discussion may not be as outlandish as it seems.

Phil Jackson has coached each of the past two, “Best in the World,” players in Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Both are high on the, “Greatest of All-Time,” scale, and some even consider them to be No. 1 and No. 2.

Jackson, now the president of basketball operations for the Knicks, will inevitably be a selling point in recruiting James to New York City. 11 titles as a head coach and two as a player for the Knicks are tough to ignore.

The true lure will be James’ relationship with Anthony. They’ve been friends for more than a decade and have been teammates on Team USA’s national basketball team since the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Thus, the possibility exists for James to come to New York—no matter how realistic.

Until then, James to the Knicks is more of a pipe dream than a realistic expectation. In the City of Dreams, however, dream we will.