New York Knicks: What did LeBron James mean with this?

LeBron James, despite what he said to Dwyane Wade, was never close to signing with the New York Knicks in July, according to a report from The Athletic.

The New York Knicks will potentially have the cap space to target Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving or another perceived maximum-contract free agent. That was not the case this past July, despite LeBron James hitting the open market.

James, who went to the third team of his NBA career, signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for four years. There never seemed to be a doubt of any other destination, but something he told Dwyane Wade after Monday’s game between the Lakers and Miami Heat turned a few heads: “It was either here or at the Garden, that’s it.”

That, of course, was interpreted as Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks play. Not so fast on speculation of James almost joining the Knicks in free agency, however, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic (subscription required).

Instead, James felt a final matchup with Wade was so “special,” it could only happen somewhere like Madison Square Garden or Staples Center, two of the NBA’s high-profile arenas.

That should squash any notion of James and the Knicks as previously realistic partners, thus, again, ruling out a theory that has resonated since the multi-time NBA MVP’s first free-agent foray in 2010, a.k.a “The Decision.”

It’s not like New York was without superstars. Amar’e Stoudemire became this for one season, before suffering injuries that derailed his career. Carmelo Anthony held this moniker for parts of seven seasons, but he only made the playoffs in three of those years.

While this happened, James joined the Miami Heat, aligning with Wade and Chris Bosh, to make four consecutive NBA Finals, from 2010-14, winning in 2012 and 2013. A return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played from 2003-10, followed, making four more NBA Finals in consecutive seasons, winning in 2016.

The Knicks and James’ teams have fallen in different tiers of the NBA over the years, with its peak happening on the Wade-led units. They were nearly invincible for four years, at least among the Eastern Conference.

Would this same greatness happen with the Knicks, theoretically, if James joined this group in July? There’s still no Kristaps Porzingis, and the young core in place has a distance to travel in development, including Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, Frank Ntilikina and Allonzo Trier.

Do the Knicks make the 2019 playoffs with James and these players? Probably, since the East doesn’t match the Western Conference’s depth. For now, leave it to the fantasy world of NBA 2K19 to flesh out.