To this point in the 2017-18 season, LeBron James has stuck to his commitment of not discussing his impending free agency. The Cleveland Cavaliers' megastar made an exception on Friday, however, calling an ESPN report that he'd be willing to meet with the Golden State Warriors this summer "nonsense."
"The fact [the report says] that 'LeBron's willing to sitdown,' I saw that part -- LeBron never said that," James said. "I never said that. I never said that I would sit down with Golden State or sit down with anybody. I've never talked about any other team throughout my journey."
James' comments to reporters, made at Cavs shootaround on Friday, come a day after ESPN's Chris Haynes reported that James could have interest in joining his current rival due to the organizational stability of the Golden State franchise. The Warriors have faced off with James and the Cavs in each of the past four NBA Finals, beating Cleveland in two of them (2015 and 2017).
Wrote Haynes:
James' distant relationship with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is well-chronicled, and the instability in Cleveland's front office has been of concern to him, but the Warriors' strong organizational structure and the prospect of more championships would be an enticement that most veteran players would consider.
James and his business team have been known to covet structure, if he were to leave his hometown team. With Golden State, an ultra-aggressive general manager in Bob Myers, the ownership group as a whole and coach Steve Kerr are the epitome of that.
The 4-time MVP, however, maintains that his current -- and only -- concern is helping to improve the struggling Cavs.
"The Golden State conversation is a non-story. All the other conversations is a non-story," James told reporters. "My focus right now is on this team and trying to figure out how we can get back to a fourth NBA Finals and compete for a championship.
James went on to reiterate that he would no longer answer questions about his future throughout the remainder of the ongoing season.
"Everything else -- if it's not about this team, if you want to ask me about this team, I can answer it good, bad or ugly. But please, the rest of the season, don't ask me about nothing else, no other team unless we're competing against them the next night or a highlight that happened on the floor. Don't ask me about being on the team or another team because it's unfair to my teammates here, the 14 teammates that come here to work hard, the coaching staff and this fanbase."
That, of course, won't stop speculation regarding James' future from continuing. With the NBA All-Star break having not yet even arrived, the Akron native has already been linked to a number of potential suitors, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and Warriors.
But you can now cross the most recently rumored -- and juiciest -- potential landing spot for James off that list. And it's not even a foregone conclusion James will even hit the free agent market this summer anyway, as earlier this week, Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins made the case for James to remain in Cleveland, given the mainstream appeal he has built since his return to the Cavs in 2014.
For now, however, James will go back to remaining silent on the subject. But if you do hear something, that's likely just the entire city of Cleveland breathing a temporary sigh of relief.
