The six teams that could land LeBron James
This story originally appeared in the Globe’s Sunday Basketball Notes. Read the rest here.
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The marriage between LeBron James and the Lakers ended this week when the 23-year veteran and four-time champion announced that he was not returning to the team and seeking a new team in free agency. The Lakers were interested in bringing James back for at least one season but had other roster needs.
The Lakers could have scraped up enough money to make James a lucrative contract offer but had other roster priorities, including a center. Los Angeles made an aggressive push for Jazz restricted free agent Walker Kessler, who had fallen out of favor with his original team.
They worked out a sign-and-trade with Kessler for two first-round picks and two pick swaps. The Lakers then signed Kessler, considered a defensive-minded rim protector — to a four-year $130 million deal. Los Angeles then added Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili to a four-year, $52 million deal and also signed Quentin Grimes from the 76ers and Collin Sexton from the Bulls to fill roster needs. The team was stunned when center Deandre Ayton opted into the final year of his contract. But the Lakers traded Ayton to the Wizards for swingman Jaden Hardy to clear a frontcourt slot.
The Lakers wanted James to return but as a third option behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who was just rewarded with a four-year, $185 million deal to be the No. 2 option. James managed well behind that duo last season but that team was hardly championship level. Even with the offseason additions, the Lakers won’t be favorites and James wants to win a championship.
Los Angeles has decided to build its franchise around Doncic, which is something the Mavericks decided to take a pass on after the 2024 Finals. It seemed James understood the shift to Doncic as the primary cornerstone but Reaves, a smooth scorer but poor defender, suddenly became another priority to unseat James.
James did not want to return under those conditions and he has a bevy of teams interested in his services, even for just one season. Here’s a look at the candidates:
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▪ Warriors: Golden State has held interest in James and now could be the time to pair him with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, and Al Horford for a geriatric team that will be fun but endurance will be an issue. And even with James, the Warriors won’t be championship contenders, just pure entertainment.
▪ 76ers: With the addition of Jaylen Brown, Philadelphia becomes more attractive to James because all the 76ers need is a power forward to complete an imposing starting lineup. The question is whether James would want to play in Philadelphia and beside Embiid, who remains a franchise cornerstone.
▪ Cavaliers: A third time in Cleveland sounds like a great story but the Cavaliers are not a championship caliber team at this point, losing Dean Wade to the 76ers. James Harden proved once again he isn’t a high-level playoff player and Cleveland was easily swept by the Knicks after blowing Game 1 in New York. The Cavaliers would need more reinforcements besides James to push the likes of the Knicks and 76ers, but a return to Northeast Ohio is an intriguing possibility.
▪ Heat: With Giannis Antetokounmpo now on board, Miami becomes more of a realistic possibility because a frontline of James, Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo could be the best in the league. James has mended his relationship with team president Pat Riley and he still has fond memories of his four-year stint here when he won two championships.
▪ Nuggets: Denver has not done much of anything in free agency so far, but a pairing of James and Nikola Jokic would bring two of the league’s most intelligent players together. James remains a great player but wouldn’t put the Nuggets over the top in the Western Conference. But it’s a two-hour flight from his Los Angeles home and the passes that James and Jokic would toss to teammates would be worth the price of admission.
▪ Timberwolves: This is a wild card but Minnesota traded away Julius Randle and Naz Reid and could use another powerful forward. The trio of James, LaMelo Ball, and Anthony Edwards would be interesting and James could provide the mentorship that both could use. Still, with James, the Timberwolves aren’t quite championship caliber but they would be different and better offensively.
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