Cavaliers? Heat? Let’s Help LeBron James Decide Where to Play Next Season
LeBron James and Stephen Curry will almost certainly be teaming up later this year.
Except it will likely happen in Paris for USA Basketball at the Olympics and not in San Francisco for the Golden State Warriors. The latter option appeared to be a faint possibility at the NBA trade deadline, however, as ESPN reported the Warriors looked into trading for James this month.
James himself has fueled some level of speculation about his future with the Los Angeles Lakers. While James’s agent, the powerful and all-knowing Rich Paul, said his client wouldn’t be moved at the deadline (and he obviously wasn’t), James’s happiness in Los Angeles is unknown. He sent a cryptic tweet before the team’s recent hot streak and also said earlier this month he doesn’t know whether he will pick up his player option for next season.
This has led many people—including myself—to wonder whether James will actually consider switching teams this summer. As good as the Lakers have been of late, they have a steep climb to make in the West. And James is running out of time to win rings.
With that in mind, what are the best options for James this summer? I took the liberty of ranking possible landing spots, just in case James needs some help deciding.
Could James actually leave the Lakers this offseason?
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Honorable Mention: San Antonio Spurs
This only works as a full-on pivot away from championship contention and into mentorship mode. It’s interesting, though! James would finally get to play for Gregg Popovich, a coach he’s long admired and spoken highly of. And he gets to show Victor Wembanyama the superstar ropes. While this team likely wouldn’t be a contender, LeBron and Wemby would probably still make them pretty damn good.
5. Miami Heat
Miami is kind of a legacy on this list as a previous James team and because he made it a point to publicly congratulate Erik Spoelstra on the massive extension Spo signed this season. With the Heat struggling to break through to the very top during the Jimmy Butler era, adding James would obviously be a game-changer. It would be fun to see James back in the East and battling some of his old rivals. If he does switch back conferences, though, there’s probably a better option …
4. Philadelphia 76ers
… Like Philly! The Sixers are going to have a massive amount of cap space this summer, which means they could realistically absorb James’s contract and can send out several first-round picks in return. (Daryl Morey reportedly already checked in on James’s availability at the deadline and was quickly rebuffed.) James could be what Joel Embiid needs to shatter the glass ceiling that’s kept him out of the conference finals. An Embiid–James–Tyrese Maxey core would be pretty thrilling. It would also give James an opportunity to play for another iconic franchise and add another layer of masala to the always simmering Boston–Philadelphia rivalry.
3. Golden State Warriors
To be honest, I don’t really want to see James and Curry on the same team because it’s been too much fun to watch them as rivals. Unlike when James and Dwyane Wade teamed up. James and Curry have a deep and storied history of facing off in the postseason. I hope that is preserved. At the same time … the temptation of them playing together is incredibly strong. It only works if both teams suffer swift and humbling playoff defeats this season. And it would help if some kind of juggernaut emerged in the West. If there were some team worthy of James and Curry teaming up to take down late in their career, that’s a narrative I could get behind.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
You can always go home again! Let’s say the Cavs have another early playoff exit. Let’s also say Donovan Mitchell ends up getting moved because he chooses not to sign an extension. What if James were to come back and save the day once again? I would enjoy that! And it wouldn’t feel very mercenary-ish for James to play in Cleveland for a third time. What’s better than winning one ring for The Land? Two rings. (Having said all of that … the Cavs are hooping right now. And I hope Mitchell stays, because the team is great.)
1. Los Angeles Lakers
So here’s where I ruin the fun and say I think James staying in Los Angeles is still my favorite option. I’m not a boomer when it comes to player movement. In fact, I love free agency and trades. And still I don’t think it would be an enjoyable experience to watch James ring chase late in his career. Obviously, it wouldn’t be like a veteran glomming onto a team as the ninth man playing 14 minutes a night, but it would be strange to get used to James in yet another uniform.
One more ring in Los Angeles would be special. James could tie Kobe Bryant in both overall rings and Finals MVPs as a Laker. His résumé as a Laker alone would vault him into the conversation as one of the franchise’s greats. And it would mean he had to go through a stacked West, a conference which currently includes (to name only a few) Curry, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokić, rivals of James past and present.
So I hope James stays and the Lakers make the requisite moves this summer. Trade those three first-round picks. Get another star to Hollywood. Let James watch the sun set on his career on Sunset Drive. You get the point. There’s more for James to accomplish in Los Angeles, and even if the team this season has been underwhelming, the Lakers still have time to not waste LeBron’s.
