Over the last decade, there’s no question LeBron has secured a prominent place on basketball’s Mount Rushmore.
He’s won half the rings that MJ has and is two shy of Kobe Bryant. But his window is undoubtedly closing. With the dominance of Golden State in the West and the rise of Philadelphia and Boston in the East, LeBron has a big decision to make this offseason. While every league GM is crunching numbers, and cities are making a pitch to entice LeBron to their teams, there’s only a handful of teams that legitimately have a shot of landing the King. Let’s examine.
Utah: LeBron playing alongside Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert could be reminiscent of him joining Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade in Miami. The Jazz took the NBA by storm this year and the possibility of LeBron joining them is as below the radar as the Jazz were this season. Mitchell’s dazzling play, and Gobert’s stellar defense, would put LeBron in the mix with Golden State and Houston immediately next season. A bonus for LeBron is how it would help his legacy. If he joined an already-assembled contender, he’d be accused of taking the easy route to a title, ala Kevin Durant. If he went to the Jazz and won a title, he will have delivered titles in Cleveland and Utah, in addition to the two he won in Miami. Utah has a reputation of being a well-run, well-coached organization and LeBron would benefit from the culture. Sure, Salt Lake’s a bit quiet, but he’d be spared the drama of playing with Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith. 5% chance
Cleveland: It’s hard to see the Cavs keeping up with the Celtics or the Sixers. If we’ve learned anything from this year’s playoffs it’s that, minus LeBron, the Cavs aren’t very good. They appear to be a bunch of single contributors who are riding LeBron’s coattails. If Kyrie Irving had remained on the Cavs and had a healthy relationship with LeBron, I’d see this re-signing much more likely. With that said, LeBron will have to think hard about leaving Cleveland since his last departure did not go so well. I just wonder if he can convince some of his “friends” to join him in Cleveland. Maybe, but it’s probably a hard sell. Because this team, and its future, is just not great. But, considering he’s reached the finals four straight years in Cleveland, one could argue that staying in the East, in Cleveland in particular, would be better than heading out west. 20% Chance
Philadelphia: Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and LeBron James could represent the East for the next five straight years, no question. This is an intriguing landing spot, one that I think does have a possibility. The youth of the Sixers could re-energize LeBron. It’ll be interesting to see who the Sixers bring in to replace disgraced GM Bryan Colangelo to make this happen. 25% chance
Boston: Intriguing. This team, like the Jazz, played well above anyone’s expectation and they’ve done it without money players Kyrie Irving or Gordon Hayward. They have a young nucleus of shooters and a ton of draft picks over the next few years to make this interesting. But Boston would have to shed some contracts (Kyrie and Gordon?). The C’s have proven that they can get to the Finals without those two, so, why not move on? I would think Danny Ainge would rather like to build a team around those pieces and Kyrie, but then again, he brought in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen late in their careers and won a championship. This destination is quickly rising in my book. 20% chance
New York: This is the team that should land LeBron James. New York would give LeBron the biggest stage and would make him a basketball god winning at Madison Square Garden. But I honestly can’t think of a more dysfunctional franchise in all of pro sports. Any organization that would build a team around Carmelo Anthony is insane. New York has been awful for decades (note the plural form of decade.) Sure, they made a playoff push a few years back, but they play in the East – 8 teams have to make the playoffs, right? Sorry, Enes Kanter. LeBron has no interest in coming to NYC. A BETTER CHANCE OF MARK JACKSON SAYING SOMETHING INTELLIGENT
Golden State: Yeah, let’s not go there. I would stop watching the NBA. Like, completely. 0.5% chance
Houston: As the playoffs began, I thought this was the strongest team to score LeBron, and I think the fact that they were so close helps their cause. Adding LeBron could give them just what they need to get past the Warriors. Plus, I think he’d enjoy Mike D’Antoni’s style of play, and LeBron could finish out his career winning a couple more rings alongside James Harden. I just wonder if there aren’t enough basketballs to go around in Houston. 15% chance
Los Angeles Lakers: Sadly, L.A. is always a favorite to lure in the biggest stars. LeBron could easily sell Paul George, or someone of that caliber, to join him in SoCal. But the Lakers, as presently assembled, are not close to making a run. LeBron and Paul George could put them in contention, however, I think they’d still be a notch below Golden State. 10% chance
Another team or option: New Orleans (intriguing to pair with Anthony Davis), Minnesota (young nucleus on the rise), or what about back to Miami with another star say, Kawhi Leonard? 4% chance
Retirement: Maybe he retires from basketball and goes Michael Jordan and switches sports. Could you see him suiting up for the Cleveland Browns? Now that would be interesting, and something never done before. There have been a few baseball/football players, but have you ever seen a basketball/football combo? It certainly would elevate his brand. 0.5% chance
Well, it’ll be an interesting decision. Let’s just hope Jim Gray doesn’t host the interview. Maybe Mark Jackson? Nah, let’s not go there. As much as LeBron to Utah is a longshot, he should strongly consider it.
Note: The above predictions assume that the GMs would make the financials work. I’m not a numbers guy, just a guy on the sideline.