Hawks fans chant 'LeBron will leave you' to taunt Cavs

It’s been a roller coaster season for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After not gelling early, the team went all-in at the deadline, seemingly overhauling the entire team with the exception of LeBron James.

Next year, however, he might also be gone. The Cavaliers would never trade James, of course, so he would have to leave in free agency.

If you ask Atlanta Hawks fans, that is definitely going to become a reality.

Yep, you can hear the fans chanting “LeBron will leave you” as Tristan Thompson takes free throws during Friday’s game.

As taunts go, that’s actually not bad. It’s been speculated that James is likely to leave, especially with all the reports of unrest in the team’s locker room from earlier in the year.

It’s certainly possible the team’s deals will completely fix all that and James will want to come back. But the prospect of him leaving is going to remain a prominent story until he actually makes a decision.

LeBron James could leave the Cavaliers in the offseason. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
LeBron James could leave the Cavaliers in the offseason. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

All of that is going to go unsaid by everyone on the team, of course. James isn’t going to create that type of distraction while the team is still playing. And after “The Decision,” it’s probably best if he keeps his free agency as quiet as possible.

But that won’t stop opposing fans from shouting it as loud as they can. At this point, why not? Even if it doesn’t have an impact on Cleveland’s play, it’s a much better chant than the usual stuff fans yell at players.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik