How the Trail Blazers could sign LeBron James this offseason
By Jack Rieger
LeBron James will likely opt out of his contract this summer and elect to become a free agent. What can the Blazers offer James that no other franchise will?
When LeBron James made “The Decision” to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for South Beach in 2010, he shifted the landscape of player empowerment in professional sports. Athletes were no longer restrained by their owner and general manager. Suddenly, the artist had taken control from the institution. This is James’ lasting legacy, more than championships or All-Star appearances. He’s blazed the trail for other players to take control of their career trajectories. Could the Trail Blazers entice James to decide he belongs in Portland?
Backlash
When Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City for the already star-studded Golden State Warriors, there was backlash. But there was nowhere near the vehement disdain that James experienced after leaving his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland fans even threw towels and batteries at James while he was seated on the bench.
LeBron James Sweepstakes
This summer, James will once again become a free agent. Given the widening gap between the Cavs and Warriors, there’s speculation James will once again leave Cleveland.
But where will he end up?
For a few months, the Lakers were the obvious frontrunner. James owns two homes in Brentwood, California, and he owns a production company based in Los Angeles. And Paul George — who’s expected to sign a max contract with his hometown Lakers this summer — is one of James’ good friends in the NBA.
But the Lakers’ terrible play over the past month and the LaVar Ball circus has to negatively influence James from choosing Los Angeles.
Recently, the Houston Rockets have emerged as an internet favorite. They have a talented roster, Daryl Morey’s front-office nerds and the fourth most populated city in the country. And, of course, they have Chris Paul, one of James’ close friends and a star member of the banana boat gang.
Current Odds
Here are the current odds of acquiring LeBron James, according to OddShark.com. No surprises at the top, with the Cavs, Rockets and Lakers leading the way.
Do you recognize that organization at the bottom of the screenshot? The Portland Trail Blazers are +5000 (meaning a $100 bet would return $5000) to land James next season — the 17th best odds in the league.
I think that number is way too high.
You’re telling me the Pelicans, Clippers and Wizards have a better chance of landing James than the Trail Blazers?
As silly as it sounds, let’s think about Portland as a potential destination for James for a moment.
The Trail Blazers’ Odds
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum would be the best guard combination James has played with in his NBA career by a substantial margin. James is best when he’s surrounded by three-point shooters and off-ball movement. And Lillard and McCollum offer a perfect complement.
Portland also flaunts organizational stability and a great coach. James currently has neither in Cleveland. In fact, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue makes his Trail Blazers counterpart Terry Stotts look like Celtics legend Red Auerbach circa 1960.
The City of Portland
The biggest knock against the Blazers — and the reason they have the 17th-worst odds of landing LeBron James in the free-agent sweepstakes — is because of the city of Portland itself, not the organization. Portland is a small-market team with almost no history of creating superstars, minus Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler and Damian Lillard.
If the Blazers want to acquire LeBron James, they’ll need to get creative. They have to offer him something completely unprecedented in sports. Similar to “The Decision,” Portland needs to offer James an opportunity to enhance his legacy as someone who took power from the owners and gave it to the players.
Here’s how the Trail Blazers can do it.
Idea Number One: Nike Makes LeBron an Independent Brand
Picture this: LeBron James walks into Nike world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, on July 1 of this year. Seated at a wooden conference table are Nike founder Phil Knight, Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen and general manager Neil Olshey.
Knight tells James he wants to make the LeBron franchise its own brand, just like the Jordan brand. This means a larger product lineup with apparel, marketing and more footwear. James’ ownership stake in the LeBron brand would increase substantially, and James would become a member of Nike’s board of directors.
James would elevate to — and compete with — Michael Jordan’s status in Nike world with complete decision-making authority of his own brand. This is on top of the $1 billion lifetime contract James has already signed with Nike.
Paul Allen offers James a ballpoint pen and a crisp piece of contract paper, while Knight begins to salivate profusely all over his tracksuit.
“All of this is yours, if you sign a three-year contract with the Blazers,” Allen might say.
Jordan is still Nike’s most influential and profitable athlete by a wide margin. The Jordan brand earned $3 billion in revenue during 2015, according to SportsOneSource, while James’ sneakers earned $340 million in revenue in 2014.
LeBron has an opportunity to close the gap with Jordan; why not do it during his playing career?
Idea Number Two: The Trail Blazers Sell James a Piece of the Team
According to the NBA collective bargaining agreement (CBA), a player cannot “hold a direct or indirect interest in the ownership of any NBA Team.” However, if James and owner Paul Allen want this to happen badly enough, they can get creative.
Vulcan Inc. is a private real-estate company founded by Paul Allen, and one of the properties owned by Vulcan is the Moda Center. Vulcan is also responsible for all Trail Blazers’ financial and business operations. By investing in Vulcan, James could become a partial owner of the Moda Center.
Imagine LeBron walking into the Blazers’ free agency pitch and having Allen offer him a $100 million piece of Vulcan Inc. Every year LeBron stays with the Trail Blazers, his equity in Vulcan increases.
Business Opportunities
James could install Blaze Pizza — his fast-casual pizza chain — all over the Moda Center. Allen could make James the face of Microsoft. Maybe James would be able to convince ownership to give him authority on personnel decisions. (He’s probably on par with Olshey, anyway.)
If the Blazers went to James’ management team and offered this deal, LeBron would at least have to consider it. By owning a team while he’s an active player, James would do something no one in NBA history has ever done. Not even Michael Jordan. And you know that matters to James.
Creating a Legacy
As soon as the season ends, teams around the NBA will lineup to sell LeBron James on their winning culture, proven coaching staff and transcendent roster.
Next: Blazers prep for week of home games, starting with the Suns
But if we’ve learned anything from James, it’s that he doesn’t want to be an employee, he wants to take ownership. He wants to create a legacy built on athletes dictating their career trajectory and taking part in the profits.
The Portland Trail Blazers should give him that opportunity.