The general assumption around the NBA is that LeBron James will re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, but there'll be plenty of speculation and rumors until a contract is officially inked and stamped.
There's no way that LeBron's market is overflowing. His agent, Rich Paul, noted that 10 or 12 teams have called about James this offseason, but that was likely an exaggeration from Paul. Moreover, calling to ask about LeBron doesn't necessarily mean you're legitimately interested in signing him (especially at 41 years old) -- it could just mean you're gathering intel about a rival team or the market in general.
But let's not act like the Lakers are completely without competition for LeBron's services, either. The guy is still an All-Star-level performer, not to mention arguably the greatest player of all time. He can still help an NBA team win games, and more importantly (to many executives), he certainly still puts butts in seats/sells tickets.
Warriors, Cavaliers continue to linger as potential LeBron James destinations, but there's another dark horse team emerging
The Golden State Warriors have been routinely linked to James as a summer destination due to the astronomical market value of a LeBron James-Curry partnership. The Cleveland Cavaliers have also been linked to Bron (though less so lately) due to the storybook ending that such a move would give James in the final phase of his incredible career.
Yes, LeBron and his camp care about the narrative. And who's to say they shouldn't, given the colossal power of James' global brand? With that in mind, storytelling and marketability have to be taken into account when one unpacks what'll go into LeBron's ultimate decision in free agency. Are the Lakers in a position to offer James pretty much the best offer he's going to get on the market? Sure, but that doesn't mean LeBron won't be intrigued by other opportunities for narrative or basketball reasons.
In fact, LeBron might even be open to a return to the Miami Heat, now that they've traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo and are looking closer to contention. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne talked about this possibility this week, noting the potential narrative element in a LeBron-Miami reunion.
The Miami Heat shouldn't be slept on as a LeBron destination
“If you’re going to break up with the Lakers, you've got to have a story," Shelburne said. "Miami is a good story. Cleveland would be a good story. Golden State would be a good story. I wouldn’t have said Miami until they [traded for Giannis] ... but those 3 teams make sense to me… I wouldn’t say never."
A LeBron-Giannis-Bam Adebayo Big 3 wouldn't be the most balanced superstar trio of all time, but it would certainly do some damage in the East. Has James completely ruled out the Heat and his old pal Pat Riley? It's impossible to say right now. The more logical assumption is that Miami emerged as a dark horse candidate to sign LeBron as soon as they landed Antetokounmpo.
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