I disagree. I think- for some- there can be substantial variations in the utility one derives from their chosen team winning a Championship, and the method by which the title is won can drive those variations. You can look at it from an expected value perspective. Does the increase in odds of winning a Championship that comes with a LeBron acquisition more than offset the decrease in utility I would derive from said Championship? At this point I'd say no and roll the dice.
Decrease in utility? Wha?
And you seem like a good guy, but stop with the expected value perspective. I don't know what you do, but I don't think that you play or work for the Boston Celtics. You are a passive observer at best. The value of a championship brought to your city is the same for everyone who follows the team in that you enjoy it for a day, maybe two, perhaps a week but then you go back to your life. The "value" of a championship on your life is less than 1%.
In this exercise, LeBron is being added to the team, nothing is being taken away. I could see if in order to get LeBron, the Celts had to lose Tatum or Brown or Irving or someone you enjoyed watching play. Lose was clear that it wasn't, LeBron was being added and nothing was being taken away. Perhaps you like watching those players play and want to see them grow, then maybe that is a deterrent to adding LeBron. But the odds are stacked that even one of them will be 50% of LeBron James, so you're still getting a good deal in this swap (assuming one had to leave in order for LeBron to come).
I've flip-flopped on this one. I used to agree with you, but I've come to realize that I enjoy championships more when (A) the team is likable, and (B) they were developed organically through the draft/trades. I'm more of a baseball fan than a basketball fan, but I've been following the Celtics more lately because I like the team more.
To answer your first point, the Sox, Bruins, Pats and the Celts have had 10 championship teams since 2001, I can't think of one that I haven't liked or wished that they didn't win their championship. I'm not saying that to be glib, but I'm not sure if any championship team in any city was disliked.
Did you not enjoy the 2013 World Series Champion Red Sox? How about the 2004 Red Sox? Because that last team was probably the best sports experience that I've ever had and Manny, Damon, Mueller, Cabrera, Pokey, Millar, Varitek, Ortiz, Pedro, Schilling, Wakefield, Foulke, Embree, Timlin, Kapler, Reese, Mirabelli, Lowe, Arroyo, etc. were not developed by the Red Sox (you can argue that Schilling was, I suppose). Same thing with a majority of the 2002 Pats and a big chunk of the 2007 Celts.