When asked if, having just been eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the Denver Nuggets in the first round, he’d played his last game as a Los Angeles Laker, LeBron James said: “I’m not going to answer that.”
The effect, perhaps intentionally, left basketball fans to speculate what the future might hold for the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer.
James’ smile and coy look while leaving the podium was quite the mood shift from a season ago when his final words had people questioning whether he would return to the game of basketball at all, let alone the Lakers.
“Just for me, personally going forward with the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about,” James said after being swept by the same Nuggets in 2023, albeit in the Western Conference Finals.
The four-time champion and four-time MVP has collected virtually every individual and team accolade in professional basketball, so it would’ve been fair if he decided it was time to ride off into the sunset.
Yet, according to James himself, there’s still one box unchecked. And it’s seemingly what’s kept him motivated to continue playing.
“My senior year, I’ll be playing with my son,” James said at All-Star weekend in 2022. “Wherever Bronny is, I’ll be there. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for a year.”
He slightly amended that stance following Bronny’s hospitalization in 2023 following a cardiac arrest, saying he’d also be OK suiting up on opposite teams as neither was sure of the timeline anymore.
After taking time to ponder his basketball mortality and whether playing with Bronny was still achievable, James returned this year and continued to laugh in the face of Father Time. He averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists in his 20th All-Star season while playing in 71 games, his most since joining Los Angeles in 2018.
Which is why, even if James believes he doesn’t “have much time left,” fans know he’s got at least one or two more runs in him, at least while holding out for Bronny to enter the league — which could happen soon, as the 19-year-old has declared for the 2024 NBA draft.
So, with a potential free agency looming for James, his age-defying antics continuing to hold, and Bronny’s path to the NBA taking shape, the question then becomes if not L.A., then where?
James has a $51.4-million player option for next season, and there’s a strong possibility for him to pick it up in order to delay his free agency for a year when things might be clearer, especially on Bronny’s prospects.
The Lakers are also reportedly determined to keep James, as they’re willing to offer the 39-year-old a three-year $164 million max contract, and have expressed an openness to drafting Bronny in July.
So it’s very possible James stays put and continues to bask in the California sun while playing out his final days in the NBA.
However, if “the decision” in 2010 taught us anything — when James famously took his talents to South Beach — the speculation game can be fairly entertaining, and teams will go all out if they think there’s even the slimmest of chances they can land the all-time great.
With that being said, here are five potential landing spots (and odds, courtesy of sportsbetting.ag) for James if he opts for free agency this summer.
Golden State Warriors (+400)
Moving within the division and joining forces with the player and franchise that tortured James for half a decade would be quite the twist, yet it’s something both sides have alluded to in one way or another.
After the trade deadline passed in February, it was reported that Golden State had made a bid to Los Angeles for James (it was immediately rejected) to pair him with longtime rival Steph Curry.
James has publicly expressed interest in playing with Curry, and on the court the partnership would be seamless. James remains a force at applying pressure on defences, both with his drives and playmaking, while Curry is still one of the best off-ball navigators and shooters in the entire league.
At the very least, fans will get a taste of what could be on the way when the duo teams up for Team USA this summer in Paris for the Olympics.
James also has a strong relationship with Draymond Green, who’s a fellow Klutch Sports client. The Warriors also probably wouldn’t mind having another well-respected vet in the building to try and contain Green’s antics throughout the season.
Golden State’s biggest obstacle would be finding the cap space to sign James outright. Even if they don’t bring back Klay Thompson, who’s set to be an unrestricted free agent, the Warriors lack flexibility with the ninth-highest payroll. They would likely need to entice the Lakers with a sign-and-trade that includes some combination of Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins’ contracts along with prospects and draft compensation.
Even with the complexities, it’s still probably the Warriors’ most intriguing option. The roster is teetering between being too old or too young, and their title from a couple of seasons ago doesn’t hold much stock now. Yet, hitting the reset button while their star guard is still one of the best players in the league doesn’t seem practical either.
At least if they bring in James and double down on their veterans it’ll re-open their championship window for a couple of seasons.
New York Knicks (+600)
It’s no secret the Knicks have been courting James through free agency just about every time he’s been available. They have failed time and time again, but could it finally be their turn?
New York has arguably the most competitive roster to add James to, especially after the addition of OG Anunoby from Toronto this season. And depending on how they view Julius Randle moving forward, coming off season-ending surgery, they could be looking to upgrade at the forward spot.
Don’t be fooled though. If James goes to New York, it’ll have as much to do with the allure of the franchise and storyline as the on-court product, if not more.
The Knicks haven’t been to an NBA Finals in 25 years and their last title was over half a century ago. If James played out his remaining seasons in Madison Square Garden and brought the team a title, it would propel his legacy to another stratosphere.
He did it for the Cavaliers. Could he do it for the Knicks?
Philadelphia 76ers (+800)
Philadelphia is coming off yet another disappointing post-season exit after getting bounced by New York in the first round, making it seven consecutive trips without a Conference Finals appearance.
Meanwhile, Joel Embiid is the lone guaranteed contract on the books next season. So with no clear solutions to their post-season woes and a potential roster overhaul on the horizon, the “process” has left the 76ers with more questions than answers.
Priority No. 1 will be retaining Tyrese Maxey, who broke out this year as a first-time All-Star and Most Improved Player, and is set to be a RFA this summer. Thankfully, the 76ers have seemingly limitless cap space they can use even after signing Maxey to maximize their window and star duo.
One of Philadelphia’s biggest weaknesses in the post-season was offensive production from their wings. Specifically, Tobias Harris was paid an average of $36 million annually over the last five seasons to provide that tertiary scoring, but his playoff numbers kept falling short. The 31-year-old averaged nine points and 7.2 rebounds on 43 per cent shooting from the field and 33 per cent from distance against the Knicks.
Replacing that with the production and presence of James would be a massive upgrade, to say the least. Even after retaining Maxey and signing James, the 76ers would have a realistic chunk of cap space to fill the rest.
They also have the resources for future manoeuvres, as their mid-season sendoff of James Harden to the Clippers stocked Philadelphia with five movable first-round picks going forward. That draft capital could bring in other pieces or be leveraged to bring aboard Bronny and further entice James.
A trio formed between a guard, wing and big is about as picture-perfect of a core to build around as one could hope for. And rather than finding a lead guard to bring to L.A. to team up with himself and Anthony Davis, James could simply go back East and do it in Philadelphia.
Oklahoma City Thunder (+6600)
This one seems like a stretch at first, but if James wants to add more titles to his résumé before calling it quits, the Thunder offer him a clear pathway.
Built around MVP finalist and Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City just became the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history and is equipped to make multiple playoff runs moving forward.
It’s unclear if their lack of experience will get the better of them, but adding a veteran presence in a frontcourt that currently lacks strength could be the final piece to propel them to a title. Not to mention that OKC has tons of depth and shooting for James to maximize if they added the point-forward.
The main reason the Thunder make sense as a destination is because they’d be the most enticing sign-and-trade partner for the Lakers. Most teams looking to add James won’t have the ability to do so outright given what his projected salary would be.
OKC should have just over $30 million in cap space to start, multiple prospects and a treasure trove of picks to offer Los Angeles in a deal to acquire James. They currently have seven first-round picks in the next two drafts and would likely be the Lakers’ quickest path to rebuild.
James also has an affinity for Thunder general manager Sam Presti, referring to the 44-year-old as “the MVP over there,” during All-Star weekend in 2022.
It was a compliment to Presti for his continued ability to find or acquire talent, having drafted the likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden in the past and executing deals like getting Paul George and later flipping him for Gilgeous-Alexander plus a boat-load of picks.
Front-office dynamics have been a mainstay in the carousel of narratives that surround James wherever he’s gone, so teaming up with a GM he respects and knows has a track record of excellence could be an ideal way to end his career.
Oklahoma City would probably be the best landing spot for Bronny as well, considering their ability to identify and develop talent. With an abundance of draft capital to make it happen, it could end up being the right situation for both father and son.
Cleveland Cavaliers (+500)
A return to his home state and a reunion with the Cavaliers for a second time, to end things with the team that drafted him and he brought a title to, would be enough of a reason on its own.
However, the fit with James and Cleveland makes sense beyond just the nostalgia factor. The roster is full of talent, but there’s currently too much overlap and it’s led to mixed results. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland often occupy the same pockets of space and neither Evan Mobley nor Jarrett Allen provide much impact outside of the paint.
Taking two of those guys out and slotting James in as the connective piece could give the Cavs the boost they need to get back into legitimate post-season contention.
How they make that happen is more of a question mark. Cleveland would have to manoeuvre some kind of sign-and-trade as they don’t have much cap flexibility and their draft chest is quite empty right now.
However, if that’s where James wants to go, he’ll likely get his way. And for what it’s worth, in 2022 he said “the door’s not closed” when asked about a possible third stint with Cleveland, to end his career.
The Cavaliers also seem like a potential landing spot for Bronny. They’re second in terms of betting odds, behind just the Lakers, and the idea of the franchise drafting both father and son to end one career and kick-start another would be as storybook of an ending as basketball fans could imagine.
When you’re one of the GOATs, just about every team can talk themselves into the fit making sense, even if it didn’t. The league’s all-time leading score is still good enough that most teams would try and make it happen anyway.
Which is why speculating landing spots for James often leads to a myriad of results and is possibly why he keeps reiterating his own uncertainty about the future.
What we do know is that, with the Olympics steadily approaching, it’s likely James makes a decision before then to avoid the distraction. Historically, NBA players have preferred their contract situations to be sorted out before playing internationally. However, it’s also not out of the realm of possibility that he waits until after the trip to Paris to decide, especially if he anticipates negotiations being lengthy.
Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
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