LeBron James and his agent, Rich Paul, are very good at this: Keeping everyone guessing, including teams, what the legendary star’s next move will be. They have practice doing it.
LeBron’s next team is the biggest unknown left in free agency and he has kept things close to the vest, so much so that six teams think they are still in the running, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Miami Heat.
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Cleveland may be in the lead. League sources speaking to NBC Sports said that it’s always a bit of reading the tea leaves with LeBron (and Paul is the one in contact with teams, not LeBron himself), but that those leaves seem to point toward another reunion with the Cavaliers. Brian Windorst of ESPN put it this way on ESPN Cleveland:
“People in the league are thinking it’s pointing toward Cleveland, but they are operating off vibes. If you ask me, ‘Are the vibes pointing towards Cleveland?,’ Yeah, the vibes are pointing towards Cleveland. But it’s just vibes.”
That said, three teams have emerged as frontrunners — Cleveland, Miami and Miami — ESPN’s Shams Charania on The Stephen A. Smith Show.
Both Donovan Mitchell — who just agreed to a max contract extension with the Cavaliers — and James Harden would be “all in” on LeBron in Cleveland, Charania reports. That said, Giannis Antetokounmpo also reportedly would welcome a LeBron reunion with the Miami Heat. Smith said on the show that he has heard executives say Miami is a better fit for him than Cleveland in terms of style of play.
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It’s not about the money
The other thing that makes this a particularly difficult situation to predict is that this is not what we have seen from LeBron in the past.
Since taking slightly less than the max in Miami to bring that big three together, LeBron has always taken the most money he can in every contract. As was his right, and he was worth every penny.
Times and the situation have changed. There is no max for him, and if it were all about the money, he would have worked something out with the Lakers, who retain his Bird rights and can offer more than any other team if they wish. LeBron has told Los Angeles he is not returning, and the Lakers are good with that.
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LeBron could end up playing for as little as the minimum ($3.9 million) in his 24th season, which opens up more options. Some teams have part of their mid-level exception left, but it’s going to be a steep drop off from the $52 million he made last season.
Paul has said being able to play meaningful games and compete for a title are the most important factors, which is a good sign for Philly and Cleveland (the Cavs did reach the Eastern Conference Finals last season), and maybe Miami, although it has work to do to round out the roster around Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
LeBron has to balance questions about the chances of that team conceding, his fit on that team, comfort with the organization and players on the team he joins. LeBron is hanging with the Warriors’ Draymond Green this week, ESPN’s Charania adds. That doesn’t mean the Warriors are frontrunners, but in a world where everyone is trying to read the tea leaves, it’s worth considering.
When will LeBron make his decision? From the start, it was clear LeBron was going to take his time, and he’s never shied away from basking in the spotlight when it’s on him. And it is on him right now.