NBA Free Agency: Dwyane Wade should sign with the Dallas Mavericks

LeBron James, basketball royalty, has sat down with another King – Larry – to discuss his basketball future and impending free agency.

Fans across the league blindly believe James will pick their city to ply his trade next season.

The widely reported but minimally effective advantage Cleveland has over the rest of the pack has cooled some expectations from competing franchises, but hope remains. After all, that’s what the offseason is for, right?

The North Texas area has put together a respectable effort to recruit James. One only needs to look at www.lebrontothemavs.com to see what the local contingent will do to bring in a player that many believe is the best in the league.

Although Dallas is a city fit for a king, it’s not fit for LeBron. James should either stay in Cleveland, where his legend will be cemented if he wins a championship, or head east, to New York City.

Yes, Cleveland has done a horrible job of surrounding LeBron with championship-caliber talent. And yes, the Knicks’ best player is Danilo Gallinari – enough said.

But James does not belong in Dallas. His heart wants him to stay in Ohio and his ego wants him to go to NYC. If LeBron leaves Cleveland, his next stop should be New York.

LeBron is a star in every sense of the word and he wants everyone to witness it, including the biggest stars in other sports and professions.

Who wouldn’t want to have Spike Lee, Eli Manning, and the entire Yankees lineup watch them do their thing on basketball’s biggest stage in Madison Square Garden?

And guess what? That’s fine. James is the biggest attraction the NBA has to offer and belongs in the biggest market to grow its brand.

So, if James doesn’t travel below the Mason-Dixon Line to play basketball, who should be Dallas’ target?

The answer is Dwyane Wade.

Yes, THAT Dwyane Wade. The man who — with the help of a few officials — single-handedly defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals would fit perfectly with Dirk Nowitzki.

Wade’s presence in Dallas would instantly make the Mavs a title favorite.

His arrival would be met with some initial doubt, but what better place to win a championship than the same city from which he stole a title?

If Dallas were to win a title with Nowitzki and Wade, the same fans who have despised Wade since the Finals would undoubtedly revere the man. After jilting Mavs fans in 2006, Wade has a chance to win over the Dallas/Fort Worth community by teaming with the man he battled for six games.

Wade and Nowitzki seems like a match made in heaven, and it is. The Dallas Mavericks have struggled to find the correct supporting cast for Nowitzki since trading Robert “Tractor” Traylor for the Big German.

Nowitzki, an out-and-out jump shooter, has played as well as he can while being surrounded by other jump shooters. When the Mavs went to the Finals in 2006, Nowitzki had two young, attacking players in Josh Howard and Devin Harris.

Howard has since regressed and been traded. Harris was shipped out of town for an aging Jason Kidd, who doesn’t possess the same skill set as Harris. Kidd is a Hall of Fame point guard but his strongest assets, passing and 3-point shooting, are not what the Mavs need out of this free agent class.

The Mavs need a powerful, tenacious attacker that can get to the rim and subsequently, the free throw line. If you watched the 2006 Finals, you saw that is exactly what Wade is.

So, D-Wade, it’s your turn. You have the chance to redeem yourself in the city you have tormented since 2006. Happy choosing.