The Los Angeles Lakers' season ended on Monday night at the hands of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and the Denver Nuggets for the second straight year, and now is when things will get very interesting for the Lakers. With LeBron James potentially a free agent this summer and Bronny James possibly on his way to the NBA, the league's landscape could end up being turned upside down and inside out depending on what the James' decide to do this summer.
Now I should note, the assumption around the NBA is that even if LeBron James opts out of the final year of his current deal, he likely won't leave LA. He's been on record saying that in an ideal world, he hopes to be able to finish out his career in LA, but given the volatility of the situation in Laker Land, his son's potential arrival in the NBA, and the reality that there are better situations out there than in LA which could help to produce a 5th NBA Championship ring, it feels like LeBron James leaving LA is at least a legitimate possibility.
This here is a look at what could happen if LeBron James were to decide that after six seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, he's ready to play out the next (and likely final) chapter of his storied NBA career elsewhere. It's purely hypothetical, of course, but will be rooted in reality. Here's what I mean by that:
Let's assume that LeBron James is a man of his word and is willing to take a significant pay-cut in order to play with his son. If that were the case, at least theoretically, then all 30 teams in the NBA should be considered as potential options. However, realistically, it's hard to envision LeBron heading to Detroit or Toronto or Utah or any other franchise that doesn't necessarily have the, how should I say this, traditional appeal of other teams around the league.
So with that said, I've identified six teams that I could realistically envision LeBron James playing for next season and beyond if he does decide to leave LA this summer, while also noting why he'd have interest and how he could logistically get there.
Miami Heat
Why Miami: After spending four incredibly successful seasons with the Miami Heat from 2010-14, it's safe to say that LeBron James has a great deal of respect, admiration, and familiarity with the Miami Heat organization, Pat Riley, and head coach Erik Spoelstra. With something close to a ready-made contender in place, LeBron could take his talents to South Beach one more time on the hunt for another ring.
How he could get there: The short answer would be “the dark arts of Pat Riley,” but the longer and more coherent answer goes like this: by either opting in to the final year of his contract or by signing a three-year deal with the Lakers, LeBron could let the Lakers know that he wants to be traded to the Miami Heat. From a salary standpoint, you can make a deal featuring Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson and Nikola Jovic work if that were the the preferred avenue LeBron would take to get back to Miami.
Now this raises the question, is LeBron's past with Miami enough to convince him to want to go back? Well, the notion of playing alongside Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro could have something to do with that, but then there's also this nugget: the Heat have a 2024 1st Round pick. Back in 2014, when it was becoming more and more clear that LeBron might be leaving South Beach to head back home to Cleveland, the Heat made a last-ditch effort to appeal to LeBron, selecting Shabazz Napier with the 24th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft because LeBron had tweeted out that he believed the UConn point guard was the best in the draft.
Do we really think that the Heat wouldn't investigate either using their 1st Round pick on Bronny James, or trading back, getting more draft capital, and potentially taking Bronny in Round 2 if it meant that LeBron could be following him to South Beach?
San Antonio Spurs
Why San Antonio: Aside from re-signing with the Lakers, the Spurs are currently the betting favorite to land LeBron James ahead of the 2024-25 season, and there are three reasons and three reasons only why this is the case:
- Cap Space
- Gregg Popovich
- Victor Wembanyama
Depending on what they do with their outgoing free agents, the Spurs could actually be in a position to offer LeBron James a max contract without having to go the route of a sign-and-trade. The mutual respect between LeBron James and Gregg Popovich is well-documented, as is LeBron's admiration of soon-to-be Rookie of the Year winner Victor Wembanyama.
“He doesn’t have a ceiling,” James said of Wembanyama after a late-February meting between the Lakers and Spurs. “He can do whatever he wants to do in his career. It seems like he enjoys the game. It seems like he puts the work in, just from the outside looking in. I said a long time ago how special he was, and it’s really that simple.”
How he could get there: For a second, let's pretend that the San Antonio Spurs were to draft Bronny James. If they were then to decide not to re-sign any of their outgoing free agents, all it would take is a Keldon Johnson/Devonte Graham salary dump to open up a max contract slot for LeBron James. Or, in the case that the Lakers were willing to play ball, LA could potentially recoup those assets as they lose LeBron.
San Antonio may not have the market appeal of some of the other teams on this list, but don't discount LeBron's love and understanding for the history of the game of basketball, and how cool a potential farewell tour with someone of Wembanyama's stature could be. And hey, depending on how quickly Wemby continues to develop, whose to say that the Spurs couldn't contend for an NBA Title in the next couple of years?
Dallas Mavericks
Why Dallas: LeBron won a championship with Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, and seemingly goes out of his way to praise Kyrie whenever he gets the chance. As things stand now, the love appears to be mutual. Kyrie Irving has brought up the possibility of teaming with LeBron in Dallas before, noting that as he was getting ready to sign his contract to stay in Dallas, he reached out to LeBron to gauge his former Cavaliers teammate's interest in coming to Dallas.
And since we're talking love affairs, then we can't forget about LeBron's affinity for Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
Teaming with both Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic would provide LeBron James the chance to coast for large chunks of the regular season and gear up for the postseason, which one would assume would be a priority for LeBron as he's nearing 40 years old. Additionally, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd was on the Lakers coaching staff in 2020 when LA won the NBA Title, to this day, he and LeBron have a great relationship built on mutual admiration for one another's game and mind.
How he could get there: Let's imagine that the Mavericks use their late 2nd round pick (coming from Boston) on Bronny James. At that point, LeBron James could choose to opt out of the final year on his current deal, sign what would be near a three-year max contract with the Lakers, and then via sign-and-trade, head to the Mavericks for likely three of the following five players: Tim Hardaway Jr., Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington, Josh Green, Maxi Kleber.
Philadelphia 76ers
Why Philadelphia: We know that Daryl Morey called the Lakers at the trade deadline to see what the price for LeBron James would be, and according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, as of earlier this month, the 76ers were considered by teams around the league as the most likely landing spot for both LeBron and Bronny James.
“Outside of LA, the Philadelphia 76ers are the franchise most often brought up by members of other teams,” Vecenie wrote back on April 12th.
The Sixers pose a real threat to acquire the James' because they have boatloads of cap space and would be able to sign LeBron to a max deal without much hassle. Even if/when Tyrese Maxey signs a big money deal to stay with the 76ers, the following players are no longer under contract in Philadelphia at the start of the offseason: Tobias Harris, Buddy Hield, Nic Batum, Robert Covington, DeAnthony Melton, Kyle Lowry, and Kelly Oubre. That opens the door wide open for LeBron to take his talents to The City of Brotherly Love.
And let's not forget, Philadelphia was considered a fringe contender to sign LeBron back in 2018 before he agreed to his first deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
How he could get there: As laid out above, all it would take would be Philadelphia drafting Bronny James, and then clearing out the space to sign LeBron to a multi-year max deal once free agency begins.
Golden State Warriors
Why Golden State: Because the idea of LeBron James joining Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and this Warriors team after going through so many battles with them from 2014-2018 is just really f***ing exciting to think about if you ask me! It would be like if Magic Johnson and Larry Bird decided to team up in the early 90's to make one last run for an NBA Title. Now I know all of the old heads out there will say they would've never done such a thing, but back in 1992, those same old heads would've been downright giddy at the prospect of Bird and Magic teaming up if it felt like a realistic possibility.
How he could get there: LeBron to Golden State is probably the least likely of all of the teams mentioned here, even though we know that the Warriors had interest in trading for LeBron back in February leading up to the Trade Deadline, but even still, there is a pathway to LeBron joining the Warriors, it's just a little complicated. Let's start here:
This summer, LeBron James and Stephen Curry will be on the 12-man roster of the USA Basketball Team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Training camp for the team will begin in Las Vegas on July 6th, and one would assume that it's a possibility that in the days or weeks leading up to the start of camp, LeBron and Steph may be in contact with one another. It's also safe to assume that Steve Kerr, who is Team USA's coach this summer, will probably have a conversation or two with LeBron as well. Of course, they won't be talking about LeBron's contract or free agency because that would be tampering.
(Wink, Wink)
What if on June 26th, the Warriors drafted Bronny James in the 2nd Round of the NBA Draft? Naturally, that's not something that LeBron and Steve Kerr could discuss before then, because again, that would be tampering.
(Wink, Wink)
So assuming that Bronny were on the Warriors, and assuming that LeBron had interest in playing with his son next year, the Warriors could put together a trade package of Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, Moses Moody, and Gary Payton II (who would need to opt in to his player option) which would work from a salary standpoint, potentially opening the door for a deal where LeBron joins Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson (who the Warriors could decide to re-sign), Draymond Green, Steve Kerr, and Chris Paul, who still has one year left on his deal.
There are other trade routes that could work as well. It could be a double sign-and-trade where Klay Thompson goes to LA for LeBron, or the Warriors could include Chris Paul in the deal instead of Wiggins. But one would assume that the most enticing pitch that the Warriors could make to LeBron would be to play with the Warriors well-established Big Three AND his friend Chris Paul.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Why Cleveland: It's Home.
How he could get there: LeBron has openly stated that he wouldn't rule out returning to Cleveland again, and it could happen one of two ways:
- The Cavaliers select Bronny James in the 2024 NBA Draft, and LeBron James takes a SIGNIFICANT pay cut to sign with the Cavaliers as the team is currently constructed.
- Donovan Mitchell lets it be known he has no intention of signing his player option in the Summer of 2025 and wants out of Cleveland ASAP, paving the way for a trade where Mitchell and LeBron are the centerpieces. Add Caris Levert's expiring $16 million contract to the mix and suddenly the deal would work from a money standpoint.
That second scenario may be the best case possible for the Lakers IF they were to lose LeBron this summer. And frankly, it could be the best case scenario for LeBron too.
A farewell tour in Cleveland with Bronny at his side? How can you possibly write a better ending to the remarkable career of LeBron James than that?
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