On the 16th anniversary of The Decision, yet another one faces LeBron James.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is looking for a new home after informing the Los Angeles Lakers he would be playing his 24th season elsewhere, and he has no shortage of options to choose from. Some of the more notable teams who have reported interest include the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, though ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday that the top three teams in the running are Cleveland, Miami and Philadelphia.
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But wherever he ends up, don’t expect a decision to come any time soon.
“What we do know is that LeBron James wants to be in a competitive, competing environment,” Charania said on NBA Today on Wednesday, July 8. “He wants to play meaningful basketball, I’m told. But as far as a timeline, there is no timetable. LeBron James does not appear to be in a rush.”
It’s a marked departure from James’ previous stints as a free agent where he wrapped up his process relatively quickly, most notably signing with the Lakers less than 24 hours into the official start of free agency on July 1, 2018. This time, however, he’s taken more time to spend with his family and close friends and play golf, with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reporting that teams have mostly had one-way communication with James and Rich Paul up to this point.
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Here’s the latest on LeBron’s potential landing spots:
More: LeBron James did the NBA one last solid before retiring. He saved free agency.
Cleveland Cavaliers
James recently got together with Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Richard Jefferson, Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye in the United Kingdom to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Cavaliers championship team, lending a bit more weight to the possibility of returning to Cleveland for a third time to close out his storied career.
Windhorst pointed out that there’s a “vibe pointing toward the Cavs” coming off their best non-LeBron season in over three decades and signing Donovan Mitchell to a four-year, $273 million max contract extension. They reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time since James’ departure but just haven’t quite been able to put it all together with this core of Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen for some years now, adding question marks about the team’s plans this summer.
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Bringing James into the fold to get Cleveland back over the hump could be a fitting final chapter for all parties involved.
Stephen Curry was recently asked about the possibility of playing with James, once his biggest on-court rival, during a celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe in Nevada.
“I’m sure we would obviously love to play together,” Curry said. “Hopefully it happens. But he’s deserved the opportunity and the right to take his time with the decision.”
After Draymond Green declined his $27.7 million player option to become a free agent himself, the plan for Golden State was set in motion. Though their attempts to trade for Anthony Davis have been denied, they are still all-in on their pursuit of James, his former running mate in Los Angeles.
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The motive here for Golden State is clear: James represents their best shot at surrounding Curry with a co-star that can make one final push for a title in the twilight of both of their careers. And for James, he’d also get the bonus of playing alongside two players who have become his most respected peers over the years.
Philadelphia 76ers
This is the dark horse. Despite having no immediate connection to the Sixers, it might be too hard to turn down an opportunity to plug into a starting five of Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
Bob Myers, longtime Warriors president of basketball operations and current president of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, said as much during a recent appearance on Rich Paul’s “Game Over” podcast.
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“If he was (on the podcast), I’d say, ‘I honestly believe this is your best chance to win,’” Myers said. “You have to decide all the other things that are equally important. … What I would say is if it’s about winning, ‘Let’s talk about that team, because you can win in Philadelphia.’”
In terms of purely chasing a ring, Myers might be right that LeBron’s best chance lies in Philly. Whether he agrees with that or not remains to be seen, though.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James landing spots: Rumors, updates and latest on free agency decision
