Oladipo to LeBron: If You Want To Win, Come to Indy

LeBron James is a expected to make a major free agency decision for just the second time in his career this summer. While the de facto favorites so far have been the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Houston Rockets, other teams could still compete for LeBron's services before he make his second "Decision."

While Joel Embiid has already publicly recruited LeBron, Philadelphia was already a rumored landing spot.




But now, recently-crowned Most Impoved Player Victor Oladipo has thrown the Indiana Pacers name in the ring. Oladipo told TMZ Sports that James is his most highly coveted free agent acquisition for the 2018-2019 season. "If you want to win, come to Indy" the guard said, publicly addressing LeBron.

While the big buzz has been around the prospects of building superteams, teaming up with Kawhi Leonard and/or Paul George, or completing the process in Philadelphia, there are other suitors that could make sense in the right situation.

Why can't the Pacers be a viable option?

Without LeBron James, the Pacers were the 5th seed in the East. And of course, they took James' own Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the 2018 playoffs. But flip the script, if the the Cavaliers had a healthy roster but the Indiana Pacers had Oladipo and the rest of their roster?




Indiana would have won in a clean sweep if not five games at most. This hypothetical team would've plowed through the Eastern conference and right back into the NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors.

This team would've easily had a better shot at beating the Warriors, and likely would have pushed them to at least a longer series. In 2019 Oladipo and LeBron would be surrounded by Thaddeus Young, Myles Turner, Bojan Bogdanovich, and Darren Collison, among others.

You're probably thinking that doesn't sound as glamorous as the Lakers with Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and LeBron. And to be honest it doesn't. I would even say the ceiling for that LA Superteam would be higher.

But Indiana would provide a more fundamentally sound basketball roster, where LeBron could team up with Oladipo to do great things. In LeBron's seven NBA Finals Appearances with an All-Star guard playing beside him the whole series, he's 3-3. In the other three (2007, 2015 without Kyrie for majority of series, 2018) he's 0-3 with a total record of 2-12 in those games.

If the Cavaliers had (a healthy) Kyrie Irving in 2018, maybe their fate against the Warriors could have changed. Teaming up with Oladipo would give LeBron a new sidekick to take to the promised land. They would have the regular season and most of the Eastern playoffs to fine tune things before playing meaningful games in May and June.




The Pacers might not be the most explosive option, but they could provide a safe basketball environment where James could continue to thrive and chase championships without having to run through the crowded West.

Header Photo: Courtesy of Andy Lyons/Getty Images

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