LeBron James may have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves just a couple of months ago, but that hasn’t stopped him from being the talk of the town this offseason. Much of it centers around his future in the NBA. The King exercised his $52.6 million player option, meaning he’ll return for a 23rd season. But will it be with the Los Angeles Lakers? That remains to be seen.
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Since the news of James’ player option dropped, the rumor mill has started churning rather loudly. Fans, analysts, and players are trying to figure out where the four-time NBA champ might potentially want to go, especially after his agent Rich Paul mentioned that he wants to compete for a title now.
NBA insider Bobby Marks has an idea of a few teams that could realistically make a play for the future Hall of Famer. One of those options points to one of LeBron’s biggest team rivals: the Golden State Warriors. Marks thinks that if the Dubs truly want LeBron, they’ll get him via Jimmy Butler.
“That would, of course, make the most sense,” said Marks. “When you’re trying to swap Jimmy Butler out for LeBron James, that trade works when you look at it from a perspective.”
But just because the Warriors want James doesn’t mean the Lakers would want to take on Butler, and Marks pointed that out. “The question would be, of course, would the Lakers want an extra year of Jimmy Butler? Remember, this is a team that is prioritizing cap space post-LeBron James.”
As exciting as a James and Steph Curry-led Warriors team would be, it just doesn’t add up. Out of his 10 NBA Finals appearances, LBJ has lost six times, and three of those losses came at the hands of Golden State alone. LeBron might not care, but there are just some squads he should steer clear of for legacy’s sake.
“The second team, of course, is the New York Knicks,” added Marks. “When you look at a player like Karl Anthony-Towns, that trade matches. They have players like OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart. It does become a little bit complicated with the finances.”
Now LeBron in the Mecca? The amount of money that would be printed is hard to even fathom. But would LBJ be the missing piece for the Knicks to finally win a title? It would take a lot of magic.
Still, New York seems like a more realistic option than a second return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. At least according to Marks. “It is unrealistic that the Cleveland Cavaliers could trade for LeBron James. If he became a free agent? That opens up the door for a lot of teams to sign him,” he stated.
It’s highly unlikely that the free agency route will come into play for LeBron. The Lakers could still leverage him for trade value, and they’ll most likely explore that. It would deny basketball fans the chance to see more of LeBron and Luka as teammates.
Still, the summer is young, and no new details have emerged about James so far. This is starting to reach “The Decision” levels of anticipation. Will his next move live up to the hype? Only time will tell.
