LeBron James has left the Eastern Conference. And while his departure will certainly have a bigger impact on whoever the (new) Eastern Conference champion is, it will also be greatly felt at the 2019 NBA All-Star game in Charlotte. This upcoming season represents the first fairly reasonable chance for Lauri Markkanen to make his debut as an NBA All-Star.
With James out of the east, there is one starting frontcourt spot guaranteed to be free. But obviously, the Cavaliers will be a worse team than last year and that could greatly effect Kevin Love’s chances of making his third straight All-Star game.