LeBron James among members of Cavaliers who won't stay at Trump hotels in New York

Up to half of the Cleveland roster won't stay at hotels named after the President-elect

After several NBA teams cancelled their upcoming stays at Trump Hotel in New York City, ESPN and the Cleveland Plain-Dealer report that the Cavaliers are also cancelling upcoming stays, and that LeBron James is among the players electing to make other accommodations, according to GM David Griffin.

A group of Cleveland Cavaliers players have been excused from staying at the team's planned accommodations, the Trump SoHo hotel in lower Manhattan, when the defending champions visit New York City this week to play the New York Knicks, multiple team sources told ESPN.com.

Other members of the team's traveling party will stay at the 46-story luxury building opened in 2010 and branded through a licensing agreement with President-elect Donald Trump, as the Cavs have a contract with the establishment.

Source: LeBron James among Cleveland Cavaliers that don't plan to stay at Donald Trump-branded hotel.

James is said to be among up to half the 14-player roster who won't be staying at that hotel.

Interestingly, David Griffin explained the decision to originally book at the Trump Soho location as related to something which could have implications down the line, playoff availability.

Griffin said Trump SoHo is the only Trump-named hotel where the Cavs are booked this season, and the team is not booked there for games against the Brooklyn Nets. He said the Cavs chose to stay at Trump SoHo because it was the only NBA-caliber hotel in Manhattan in which the team could get guarantees for playoff rooms -- a must for a club such as the Cavs that is the defending champion and a virtual lock to reach the postseason.

Source: Several Cavs skipping out on Trump-named hotel in New York | cleveland.com.

So in the event that the Cavaliers face the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, the Cavaliers might have to book hotels significantly far from Madison Square Garden. Given New York's traffic situation, you wonder if the Presidential election which saw Trump win could wind up having an impact on a first or second-round series between Cleveland and New York.

James and J.R. Smith appeared at a campaign rally for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton before the election, and James has said he's unsure if he'll visit the White House during the Trump presidency, should the Cavaliers win the NBA title in that span.