Carlos Boozer and LeBron James spent one season together as teammates, and it came at the very start of their careers with the Cleveland Cavaliers . Even though Boozer was drafted as the 35th pick of the 2002 draft, the Duke product showed in his sophomore season that he had the potential to become one of the best power forwards in the league.
With averages of 15.5 points and 11.4 rebounds on 52.3 percent shooting from the field, he and "The Chosen One" formed one of the most exciting young duos in the league at the time. At that moment, it seemed like the team from Ohio had finally found its core after years of wandering at the bottom of the East.
But just as they began dominating together, the 2004 offseason arrived, and with it the major free agency controversy in which Boozer, according to then–Cleveland owner Gordon Gund, broke the franchise's trust after giving his word that he would re-sign, only to sign a six-year, $70 million deal with the Utah Jazz behind their backs. That instantly crushed the fans' dream of a potential title run in the coming years, led by the young duo.
"I think with LeBron competing to be the best player in the world with Kobe [Bryant], we would have definitely won a title. He was able to take that team to the Finals by himself pretty much. I think if we'd stayed together we would have won a championship," Boozer said in 2010 in an interview for Bleacher Report.
After entering free agency in 2004, the Cavs had reportedly offered him a six-year deal worth approximately $39 million, which Boozer supposedly agreed to, only to chase a deal Cleveland couldn't and wouldn't match financially.
That he was worth that money, the 6-foot-9 power forward proved in his third and fourth seasons with the Jazz, where he developed into a two-time All-Star and an All-NBA player. He played the best basketball of his career in the 2007–08 season, averaging 21.1 points and 10.4 rebounds on 54.7 percent shooting.
Many believed the Cavs would have been ready for a title push at that point, because LeBron was playing MVP-level basketball and dragged an average Cleveland team to the NBA Finals by himself, where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs and had no answer for Tim Duncan . Boozer was widely seen as the type of interior presence that could have helped in that matchup.
But what would have happened will never be known. However, the world at least got a taste of what the pairing could have been when Boozer and James won gold together at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as part of the Redeem Team, which restored U.S. dominance in FIBA basketball.
Even though Booz had a very good NBA career, the 2001 NCAA champion never played in an NBA Finals, while the current Los Angeles Lakers superstar won four titles with three different franchises, including the epic 2016 championship, when the Cavs became the first team ever to come back from 3–1 in the Finals and beat the 73–9 Golden State Warriors .
Who knows, maybe that first historic Cavaliers title would have come much sooner had young Boozer not left for the money. Even though he had a good situation in Utah, in the East alongside James, that Cavaliers team would definitely have been a contender in the years to come.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
