MIAMI (AP) — All eyes in the NBA are on LeBron James, even amid a huge cycle of changes around the league.
Giannis Antetokounmpo got traded to Miami for Tyler Herro. Jaylen Brown got traded to Philadelphia for Paul George. Kawhi Leonard got traded back to Toronto, Ja Morant got traded to Portland, LaMelo Ball got traded to Minnesota and Dusty May left NCAA champion Michigan to coach Dallas.
There have been some huge moves in the NBA in the past few
days. But everybody, it seems, is waiting for James — again.
“He's still the face of the league,” James' agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul said.
If there was any question about whether the league's oldest active player and NBA's all-time points leader still moves the needle, that's been answered.
Soccer's World Cup is going on, the wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden — the home of the NBA champion New York Knicks — is commanding global attention, it's a holiday weekend in the U.S., and yet there's still all sorts of intrigue surrounding where James will decide to play next season.
This much is certain: James, who turns 42 in December, will play a 24th season and it won't be for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Officially, that's the full list of what is known. Paul dropped some clues on the “Game Over” podcast that he shares with Max Kellerman — indicating by showing a whiteboard filled with scrawled-out possibilities that James is looking at a slew of teams, including and probably not limited to Philadelphia, Cleveland, Miami, Minnesota, Denver, Golden State, San Antonio, Dallas, Boston and New York.
“If the Knicks hadn’t have won, there would be no board,” Paul said on the podcast. “He'd be going to the Knicks.”
The decision can come whenever he wants.
It can't be announced or commented upon by a team before Monday at 12:01 p.m. Eastern — unless James signs for the minimum salary, which in his case would be about $3.9 million.
Will he make his announcement Saturday, on July 4 amid a celebration of the nation's 250th birthday? Will he do it on July 8, the 16th anniversary of the famed “The Decision” broadcast?
Nobody knows. Nobody even knows if he knows.
It's pretty clear that money won't be a huge factor here. James has earned nearly $600 million in gross salary on the court in his first 23 seasons, while his net worth is generally believed to exceed $1 billion.
Golf will matter. James is an avid — perhaps even rabid — golfer now, and Minnesota, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Denver, New York and Boston aren't exactly places known for great golf offerings in January and February. That said, they all surely have great indoor facilities. It won't be a deal-breaker.
He'll want to play for a team that can contend for a title, not present quality-of-life issues, and appeals to his wife and daughter. Every spot on his list will be able to make a good case on all those fronts.
The podcast had a ton of news and a ton of insight. Paul laid out how James would fit into the lineup of most of those teams, how acquisitions such as Philadelphia acquiring Brown changes dynamics, then talked about some of the reasons why James might be leaning toward — or away from — certain clubs.
But in the end, he didn't provide any real hint.
"You can think whatever you think,” Paul said. “This is just my board. You decide what you want to think.”
And the wait continues.
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