If LeBron James leaves Lakers, 2 obvious landing spots exist

LeBron James is expected to opt out of his contract and enter free agency this offseason. For the first time, the Los Angeles Lakers will actually feel some pressure from James. He is expected to re-sign in the end, but not without demanding multiple years of guaranteed, max money with a no-trade clause. He is also going to try his best to force the Lakers to improve the roster. It's all a leverage game, and nobody plays that game better than Klutch Sports.

That said, we can never prognosticate about free agency with absolute certainty. If James is displeased with the state of the franchise, or if the Lakers don't acquiesce to every demand, maybe LeBron does consider alternatives. Or, what if Bronny James gets drafted to another team? There is a world in which the greatest player of a generation starts the 2024-25 campaign in new threads.

If James does decide to pack up and leave, a couple obvious landing spots exist. As Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer notes, two teams explored trading for James at the February deadline. We all know about the Golden State Warriors, but the Philadelphia 76ers also placed a call. Expect Daryl Morey to display genuine interest in luring James to the East Coast.

"Out East, the Philadelphia 76ers inquired about trading for James ahead of February’s trade deadline. So clearly Philadelphia would have interest in using its cap space on LeBron this summer. It’s worth noting that Bronny James could transfer to Duquesne, an Atlantic 10 Conference school in Pittsburgh, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. LeBron’s high school teammate Dru Joyce is the head coach. And Philadelphia to Pittsburgh is just a short flight."

O'Connor also mentions other fringe possibilities in the East (Cleveland, Miami, New York), as well as James' potential interest in teaming up with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic on the Dallas Mavericks. But, in the end, Philadelphia and Golden State stand above the rest as undeniably appealing options with clear paths to feasibility.

76ers, Warriors are obvious landing spots if LeBron James leaves Lakers

We can start with the most glaring reason Philadelphia and Golden State work: cap space. The Sixers are projected to have north of $60 million in cap room this summer, more than enough to satiate James' financial appetite without liquidating their assets cache. The Warriors would need to sign-and-trade, but the expiring contract of Chris Paul and/or Andrew Wiggins' albatross make it easy to match salaries.

Dallas, for example, would have more trouble maneuvering James onto the roster unless he takes a massive pay cut.

The other major factor here is winning. The Warriors finished 10th in the West and were rather emphatically dispatched from the Play-In Tournament by the Sacramento Kings. All the same, Golden State has a remarkable track record of success with this core, and James' presence would elevate the Warriors back to the contenders circle. We have all wanted to see LeBron and Stephen Curry share the floor; Golden State is certainly willing to transform it from a thought exercise to a weekly reality.

James has a deep-rooted respect for Curry, Draymond Green (a Klutch athlete), and Steve Kerr after several epic postseason battles. He can justify the move from a legacy perspective, too. It would be pretty special for James and Curry to team up and land one more ring each before the King retires.

As for Philadelphia, it's a chance to team up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The Lakers simply won't field that level of top-end talent. Anthony Davis is brilliant, but Embiid can supply 95 percent of the defensive impact while shouldering an unprecedented load on offense. Maxey's blend of shooting and speed keeps defenses in constant flux. He would feast with so many opposing resources committed to stopping Embiid and James.

Fans in Philadelphia and Golden State shouldn't get their hopes up, but the top alternatives to Los Angeles are clear as day.