The future of LeBron James is the question everyone wants an answer to. Will he retire? Will he return to the Los Angeles Lakers? Is he going back home to the Cleveland Cavaliers? One new team has now joined the list of potential destinations -- the Denver Nuggets.
Nikola Jokic is in the MVP conversation once again and putting up triple doubles like they're nothing. His basketball IQ is matched in the NBA by only one other player, LeBron himself. The two teaming up would make a lot of sense.
And a superstar player joining this version of the Nuggets is not a foreign concept, either. Former Lakers guard Russell Westbrook did the same a couple of seasons ago, signing with the Nuggets and filling a support role on a Denver team that very nearly knocked off the Oklahoma City Thunder before they won the title.
What would it mean for LeBron's legacy if he signed with the Nuggets? And what would it mean for the Lakers if LeBron followed in Westbrook's footsteps and joined the mountain timezone?
Where is LeBron James heading?
With LeBron's old team, the Cavaliers, coming to town Tuesday night, ESPN ran a major piece on LeBron's pending free agency. In that piece, they brought up the usual suspects as potential landing spots: the Lakers, the Cavs, the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks. But they tossed out a true dark horse candidate as well.
ESPN reported that "multiple sources" floated the idea of the Denver Nuggets as a next stop for LeBron, citing the potential synergy of James and Nikola Jokic. A perennial contender during the Jokic era, signing in Denver would give him another shot at winning a title -- potentially his fourth different franchise, which would be unprecedented.
If LeBron leaves Los Angeles, the Lakers would obviously prefer him to head to the Eastern Conference, clearing him out of the way of their own playoff aspirations in the West. There could be a consolation prize, however, in the way of a player heading back to the Lakers in a sign-and-trade. How would Peyton Watson fit on next year's roster between Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic? What about Cam Johnson?
This would be LeBron's Karl Malone moment, when Malone signed with the Los Angeles Lakers to make a run at a title in 2004. The modern comparison would be Westbrook, who aged into his twilight years kicking and screaming, but did accept a smaller salary to join the Nuggets and make a run last season.
Jokic and LeBron would be dangerous together
Even at age 42, LeBron James will likely be a good player, and playing next to Jokic would set him up for success. With Jokic creating offense and Jamal Murray as the shot-maker -- surrounded by role players such as Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun -- James would be optimized to lean into this late-career identity, running in transition and making smart cuts while the greatest passer in the league dimes him up.
The Thunder are not going anywhere. The San Antonio Spurs have a 10-foot-tall skyscraper doing unheard of things. There is talent in Houston and Minnesota that will want to have a say. And of course, Doncic, Reaves and the Lakers will now be an obstacle instead of a home base.
Yet the Nuggets would have a real shot at making a run, and thus validating LeBron's selection. The allure of other franchises would seem to be more potent, but it's not impossible that James could choose to sign in Denver. He is savvy enough not to let market size or climate tip the scales too heavily. He wants to compete for championships, and joining a Top-3 player in the world helps him do that.
LeBron James to Denver? It seems crazy because it is. But LeBron is a much better player than Westbrook was, and he can actually help the Nuggets win. And perhaps they would do so by going through the Lakers.