Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- LeBron James has narrowed his free agency decision to five teams, each with opportunities to improve their pitch before he chooses.
- Front offices across the league are weighing moves that could tip the scales in their favor as the decision looms.
- The next few weeks will test each team's creativity and urgency to land one of the greatest players in NBA history.
LeBron James continues to string us along, but it feels like a decision is on the horizon. The 22-time All-Star and GOAT candidate has seemingly cut his list to five: Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia, Golden State and Minnesota. If you were to ask my personal opinion on the odds, I'd probably list them in that exact order.
The fact that LeBron has not made his decision yet, at least publicly, means there is still time for each team to change the race with a trade or a separate free agent signing. No front office should fall asleep at the wheel when LeBron's services are on the line. Here's how the suitors to The King can help their cause:
Minnesota Timberwolves: Sign Kevin Love
Minnesota and Philadelphia are the outliers in LeBron's free agency sweepstakes. He has played in Cleveland and Miami. He'd be new to Golden State, but there are certain inextricable bonds between James, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green that render the Warriors a logical destination. At least from a narrative standpoint.
The Sixers and Wolves would come out of left field. The only reason LeBron is even considering those teams, if we want to read the tea leaves, is because Philadelphia and Minnesota already made their big, attractive move. The Wolves added LaMelo Ball. The Sixers added Jaylen Brown. Their outlooks are far different now than they were a month ago.
Still, the Wolves can sweeten the pot by signing Kevin Love to a vet minimum contract. It establishes a connection on a roster where LeBron has zero connections currently. You can copy/paste this suggestion for all five teams, honestly, but the Wolves probably need the vibes guy most of all. Love is another leadership figure for a younger locker room. There is also clear sentimental value here for the Wolves, too. Love spent the first six years of his career in Minnesota before he joined LeBron in Cleveland via trade. There'd be a poetry to them now teaming up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Philadelphia 76ers: Trade for Jaylin Williams
It will be hard for the Sixers to top the Jaylen Brown trade. That decisive display of aggression — and the subsequent recruitment efforts from Brown, Joel Embiid and Klutch Sports golden boy Tyrese Maxey — has put Philadelphia closer to the center of the LeBron conversation than anybody could've possibly imagined when last season ended.
Still, there is room to improve the roster. The Sixers are once again starved for depth, especially behind Embiid. Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti are extremely fun, athletic and competitive, but neither has the disicpline to stay out of foul trouble and anchor a defense for 30-plus minutes on a night when Embiid sits. And if history tells us anything, it's that Philadelphia cannot count on 82 games of full-strength Embiid.
Philadelphia has a bunch of second-round picks to throw around. Ironically, the Jared McCain trade with OKC is part of the reason why. The Sixers should try to flip the script and call up the Thunder, who need to clear a path for recent first-round picks Thomas Sorber and Aday Mara. Jaylin Williams is 24 years old and locked up on a team-friendly contract. While he's not a dominant rim deterrent on defense, he's more nimble and forceful than he gets credit for. Williams is also a legitimate hub offensively. His ability to distribute from the elbow or pass on the short roll would be a huge boon for a Sixers roster littered with perimeter scorers but absent connectors.
Williams has proven that he can start in a pinch and handle a significant workload on both ends. If the Sixers can swipe him up for Dominick Barlow, a salary-filler piece like Johni Broome, and a bounty of second-round picks, LeBron ought to take notice.
Miami Heat: Sign DeMar DeRozan
Miami has done a nice job of filling out the roster with shooters and more shooters since the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. The Heat aren't exactly ripe with assets or appealing young players, so there's not a ton of room to swing for the fences. What Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra can do, however, is attract other veterans with pedigree to come live in South Beach and try to win a championship.
DeMar DeRozan, a longtime LeBron James rival in Toronto, is now a free agent after his recent stint in Sacramento came to an unceremonious conclusion. DeRozan isn't a great basketball fit in Miami — let's not pretend like he wouldn't bump up against Giannis spacing-wise — but the Heat do need more shot-making and passing on the perimeter.
While his days as a "co-star" are in the past, DeRozan still has the makings of an excellent sixth man and a real recruitment chip. LeBron and DeRozan know each other well from over a decade of on-court battles. If the latter is willing to accept a bench role and basically function as a backup point guard and microwave scorer on the wing, it certainly makes the Heat more attractive.
At the end of the day, the beaches and the golf clubs and the Giannis of it all will probably lead Miami's pitch regardless.
Golden State Warriors: Trade for Anthony Davis
We know the Wizards are bullish on Anthony Davis, so Golden State is fighting an uphill battle here. It's unclear to what extent an AD trade would move the needle for LeBron, but the chance to reunite with his longtime Lakers running mate — and to team up with Steph, Draymond and Porzingis, lest we forget — certainly sounds like something James would relish. The AD-Dončić trade is when LeBron's relationship with the Lakers really began to sour.
Should the Warriors give up two first-round picks to turn Jimmy Butler's expiring contract into a 33-year-old, injure-prone center who expects a max contract extension? Probably not, but if it seals the deal for LeBron, that does change the calculus. The Dubs still need to contend with their basketball mortality either way, but taking one last stab at the playoffs with LeBron, Steph, AD and Draymond might be worth it, just to say you tried. Steph deserves to go down swinging, if nothing else.
The Wizards clearly want and value AD, but let's be real. Paying him beyond his current contract would be an unforced error. The opportunity to flip him for anything of actual value — not to mention when you have time-sensitive leverage over the other party — is golden (no pun intended).
Cleveland Cavaliers: Trade for Keegan Murray
The allure of home might be all it takes for Cleveland to land LeBron, but if any team here needs to meaningfully reshuffle the deck, it's probably the Cavs. While Cleveland is clearly talented enough to compete in the East, LeBron does not address their foundational issues. He won't handle the tough assignments on defense. He can't force James Harden or Evan Mobley to play with the necessary aggression in a playoff series.
Cleveland could really use that extra move to state their case. How about dialing up the woefully desperate Kings, who should listen to trade offers for anyone on the roster at this point. Keegan Murray embarks on a five-year, $140 million contract this season. That's not a little. And while Sacramento has refused to engage in Murray trade talks in the past, this new contract — coming on the heels of an injury-plagued, somewhat underwhelming season — could change the calculus.
Cleveland offloads Max Strus' $16 million expiring contract, while also coughing up Sam Merrill, a sharpshooting off-guard who made 54 percent of his corner 3s last season. Merrill can help the Kings put offensively viable players around Darius Acuff. Meanwhile, the Cavs finally add an actual wing. At 6-foot-8, Murray's blend of shooting, slashing and defense would tie Cleveland's roster together in new and exciting ways.
He's a real shot-blocker (2.2 BLK%) with the physicality and discipline to handle tougher assignments. The shooting numbers last season were a total fluke. When healthy, Murray can fill it up in a hurry. The opens the door to other trades, especially once LeBron signs. Want to flip Jarrett Allen for salary relief and depth? It's much easier when Murray can slide right into the four-hole next to Mobley.
If all it takes is a juicy unprotected first-round pick in 2033, Cleveland would be wise to consider this.
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