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There'd be a special kind of pain for the Cleveland Cavaliers if LeBron James signed with the Golden State Warriors.
And as that appears to get closer to reality, the Cavs have to be asking themselves a question -- how can they get LeBron to come back home once again?
Can they make a late push past the Warriors?
Free agency opens at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday. James wouldn't have to sign right away, of course. But if Cleveland is making a move, it'll have to be soon.
The key might end up being Jarrett Allen.
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Why Jarrett Allen?
The Cavs need to pay LeBron more than the veteran minimum, which is pretty much all they could offer under current salary cap restraints.
But Allen makes $28 million, and he could be intriguing to the Lakers in a sign-and-trade.
If the Cavaliers negotiated a framework with the Lakers to send Allen their way, they could then sign LeBron to a contract of $20 million-plus per season. At that point, they'd trade the newly signed James to Cleveland and get Allen in return.
The Cavs would be unlikely to move Evan Mobley or Donovan Mitchell, and James Harden wouldn't be as good a facilitating factor in a deal like this.
The Lakers have Deandre Ayton, but they could figure out how everything fits together later.
If they're going to lose James anyway, it makes sense for them to consider plopping themselves into a sign-and-trade, if it's also something LeBron wants to go for.
If not, the Cavs very well might see James sign with Golden State.
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