LeBron James rumors: Timetable for a decision, Nuggets and 76ers emerge as dark horses

LeBron James is a free agent, probably for the last time. The 41-year-old, 22-time All-Star told the Los Angeles Lakers he does not plan to return next season — and the Lakers pivoted quickly, some would say recklessly, to Walker Kessler.

James is expected to canvass the entire league and keep an open mind. He's even open to signing a minimum contract in the right situation. It's about happiness, not money, per his agent Rich Paul. The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers loom as obvious destinations, but there could be twists and turns ahead. Here's what you need to know:

LeBron James has 'no timetable' for a decision

• LeBron James will take his time to decide on a new team
• His decision will not be financially motivated

LeBron James is expected to take his sweet time in picking a new team, per ESPN's Shams Charania (h/t Hoops Hype):

"After LeBron James' decision to leave the Lakers on Tuesday, he returned back to the golf course. And so clearly LeBron James is not in a rush right now to make a decision. He's evaluating everything, but his biggest priority in all this is finding a team where he feels like he's going to have a chance to play meaningful basketball, compete for a championship. My understanding is this will not be a financially driven money decision. And so his agent Rich Paul has been getting about a dozen pitches ever since free agency opened at 6 p.m. Eastern time on Monday."

While Charania says there is "no timetable" for a decision, he expects superagent Rich Paul to drop hints in the days ahead. Paul spoke in shrouded language able the Lakers' dysfunction this season on his Game Over podcast. Perhaps we get more breadcrumbs now that James is officially a free agent.

LeBron's willingness to take a pay cut and listen to a wide range of teams could mean this process drags on for a while, though. He probably wants to see the final board before he makes a decision, rather rushing to sign with a team whose roster is half-finished.

76ers, Nuggets emerge as dark horse landing spots for LeBron James

• Nuggets viewed as potential 'outlier team' for LeBron due to ownership connection and Nikola Jokić
• 76ers have expressed their interest in LeBron after trading for Jaylen Brown

While the Cavaliers, Warriors and Heat are the heavy frontrunners in the LeBron sweepstakes, a couple potential surprise teams have emerged. Among them: the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst said that he has "long believed" that Denver was a potential outlier team for LeBron. Not only is there the Nikola Jokić factor, but LeBron is close friends with Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke. James has vacationed on Kroenke's yacht and the Nuggets owner has, according to James, made passes to recruit him before.

It does not take much imagination to understand why Denver would want LeBron. The combined basketball brainpower between James and Jokić would threaten to tear the fabric of reality. Those two are extremely smart and potentially complementary stars.

The Sixers are also throwing their hat in the ring after swapping Paul George for Jaylen Brown, per The Athletic's Tony Jones. Philadelphia would present James with the opportunity to join a star-studded lineup of Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe. Philadelphia has not yet won a championship in the Embiid era. It could be good for LeBron's legacy to be the piece that pushes them over the top, in addition to teaming up with two recent All-NBA stars in Brown and Maxey.

Steven Gansey, brother of new Sixers president Mike Gansey (a former Cavs exec with deep Ohio roots), posted this photo of Mike and LeBron together in high school.

In reality, it's hard to imagine LeBron actually signing with either team. He has a much stronger connection to Cleveland or Miami, while the Dubs offer him a chance to team up with longtime rival and close friend Stephen Curry. There's more poetry to those team-ups, whereas Denver and Philly are cold-weather towns with zero sentimental pull. But never say never!

Warriors have 'lined up additional' roster moves in case LeBron signs

• Golden State has 'additional move or two' lined up in case LeBron commits

While LeBron will take his time and consider multiple landing spots, the Warriors are doing the legwork to facilitate a potential union, per The Stein Line's Marc Stein and Jake Fischer:

"The Warriors are believed to have lined up an additional roster move or two if necessary to create additional financial flexibility in the event they do get word that James wants to make the Bay Area his (likely) final stop of a career that has outlasted every single star in this game before him."

Golden State is walking a fincancial tightrope after Kristaps Porzingis signed a two-year, $40 million extension, but Draymond Green opting out of his $27 million player option did open up a pathway to adding LeBron on the mid-level exception, which is around $15 million annually. One widely speculated potential trade casualty is Moses Moody, who is on the books for $12.5 million next season — and could appeal to a variety of teams as a salary dump.

Golden State is looking to capitalize on an extremely short window with Curry and Green in their twilight years. LeBron obviously fits their win-now (at all costs) timeline. James spoke glowingly about his time playing with Steph on Team USA, and their skill sets have always felt like a match made in basketball heaven. James' visionary passing, combined with Steph's gravity as an off-ball mover and spot-up shooter, would make Golden State extremely challenging to defend.

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