CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James is not one to sit around and waste time, not especially after getting swept out of the NBA Finals by the Golden State Warriors and coming up short against the sharpshooters from the Bay Area for the third time in the last four seasons.
According to a report from the Los Angeles Daily News, James is busy on the recruiting trail, speaking with potential free agents about uniting their talents in order to better challenge Golden State for the league championship.
“LeBron is doing what he does -- calling players on other teams he wants to play with,” one Eastern Conference general manager told the L.A. Daily News.
Despite breaking in a new lineup and rotation after acquiring guards Jordan Clarkson, George Hill and Rodney Hood, as well as center Larry Nance Jr., at the NBA trade deadline in early February, James had standout performances throughout the regular season and playoffs, so much so that he was named a finalist for the 2017-2018 NBA Most Valuable Player Award.
During the postseason, James averaged 34.0 points, 9.1 rebounds and 9.0 assists while playing 41.9 minutes per game. Although having to play two seven-game series before getting to the NBA Finals, James led the Cavaliers to their fourth consecutive Eastern Conference Championship.
In The Finals, James averaged 34.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.3 steals over 45.0 minutes per game.
“The guy put us on his back and got us to The Finals,” forward Jeff Green said. “You can’t do anything but tip your hat to him. The guy gave us his all to get to this point.
“Fifteen years and how much effort he put out, the guy’s amazing. I’m glad he’s on our team.”
Despite being 33 years old and in his 15th NBA season, James played in all 82 regular-season games for the first time in his career, averaging 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 1.4 steals over 36.9 minutes per contest.
Always one to pride himself on efficiency, James shot 54.2 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three-point range. James’ shooting percentage from three-point range was the third-best single-season mark of his career.
James finished second to Houston’s James Harden in the race for the NBA MVP Award, as the Rockets guard picked up 86 first-place votes and 15 second-place tallies on the way to 965 points. Conversely, James finished with only 15 first-place votes, worth 10 points each, to go along with 79 second-place and seven third-place tallies for a total of 738 points.
“He’s incredible,” Nance Jr. said after The Finals.
“I don’t know if there’s another word for it. It’s been ridiculous getting to go on this ride with him in the playoffs. From the outside looking in, you don’t get to see the type of leader, the type of teammate that he is. Just from being here, the way he treats us, his teammates, everybody associated with the Cavs, he’s much more than just a great basketball player.”