Should the Heat bring back LeBron James?

There are two things every Miami Heat fan should understand. First, they will never tank no matter how much the fans beg. Second the Miami Heat are obsessed with star hunting in NBA offseasons. This is just a fact of life. This is no secret as every time a star might become available rumors start to swirl that Miami would be interested.

The Heat got an earlier start in figuring out an offseason plan than normal as they lost in the 9 vs 10 game in the NBA Play-in and failed to make the playoffs. The rumors and speculation had already begun and will not be slowing down anytime soon. There is one player though the Heat should look into bringing back for a 2nd stint with Heat.

Ready for a reunion?

LeBron James is potentially looking for a new team this offseason, and rumors are he could be willing to sign with a team on the mid-level exception (MLE). Well, Miami finally has access to the full MLE and should be looking to add a quality player with this slot. If the rumors about James being open to signing in this range, then Miami needs to jump on the opportunity under one condition.

I want to preface this by saying James is still an exceptionally good player and would probably be considered the best player on the Heat’s current roster, at minimum 2nd behind Bam Adebayo. Jame finished this past season averaging 20.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 7.2 assists. That is in itself an absurd thing to say considering James is 41 years old. Though that speaks to the unfathomable greatness of James, it also speaks to the state of the Miami Heat.

The scenario to get James to Miami

Now that we have that out of the way, what is the condition that should be fulfilled to get James to return? As I mentioned, a 41-year-old James would be the best player on the roster, this means that the team is lacking a true superstar. Despite how well James played and continued to play at this point in his career I do not believe he can be the best player on a championship team. So, for it to make sense to bring him in, that Heat needs to add someone that can be the best player on a championship team.

If Miami is unable to land a star, I doubt James would even be interested in returning, so the decision might ultimately not even be in the Heat organization’s hands. One thing is for sure though, Miami will always do their homework to see if there is any possibility in adding a Hall of Fame level player.