4 teams that could realistically land Lakers' LeBron James this summer

LeBron James’ Lakers tenure could come to an end this offseason, as his contract technically expires at the end of the season. James has a player option for the 2024-25 season, which he has yet to pick up.

When asked if he’s figured out what to do with his option, James gave a simple one-word answer: No.

Reports have surfaced that several teams called Los Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, in hopes of reeling in the four-time MVP in a trade, but Pelinka rebuffed those calls at the trade deadline. At some point, Pelinka and the Lakers will have to think about life without LeBron, one way or another.

Could James force the Lakers’ hand this summer? Maybe so.

At this point, it could happen anytime.

With that being said, let’s take a look at four teams that could be possibilities for James in the offseason.

Four realistic options for LeBron James this summer

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

We’re all a sucker for nostalgia, in one way or another. LeBron is the best player the Cavaliers will ever have. Full stop.

Let’s first acknowledge that.

And they’d always entertain the idea of him coming back “home”. Yes, James isn’t from Cleveland, but he’s from the greater area.

And he ended the Cleveland sports drought of not winning a championship. The Cavaliers could acquire James once more this summer if he were to opt into the final year of his deal, by sending away Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. They also have their own 2024 first-round pick, which they could use to draft Bronny James of USC.

3. Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the teams that expressed interest in the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Which is unsurprising, considering Daryl Morey’s fetish of chasing stars.

He’s done it his entire career. He tried it time and time again when he spearheaded the Houston Rockets’ front office. He tried getting James at that time, but James wasn’t interested in Houston.

Could Morey get his wish this time around? The Sixers could surround James with Joel Embiid, who would easily be James’ best running mate through his career, when healthy. To that point, Morey and the Sixers know the clock is ticking on Embiid’s Sixers tenure.

Hell, he said it himself just a few months ago, in so many words.

Surrounding Embiid with James would give the Sixers the best one-two punch in the league, although that would be a very top-heavy group. Not to mention Tyrese Maxey, who is a young, rising star.

This could give James his best Big Three since he played alongside Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade with the Miami Heat. The Sixers will have $65 million in cap space this summer, which is ample salary to give James his desired contract.

They also have their own first-round pick, which could come in handy, as James has expressed his desire to play alongside his son, Bronny James.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City are an interesting team to consider in the James sweepstakes. For starters, they’ve been stockpiling draft picks and could draft Bronny James, which seems to factor heavily into the equation.

Thunder GM Sam Presti has been hoarding draft capital, in hopes of making a deal for a superstar. All told, the Thunder have 37 draft picks in the next seven years, 15 of which are first-rounders.

It’s already worked for him, as it helped him land Paul George. When George was ready to leave, Presti reeled in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is one of only seven players to average at least 28 points in each of the last two seasons.

James shouted out Presti for the job he’s done in Oklahoma City.

"The MVP over there is Sam Presti. He's the MVP. I mean, Josh Giddey is great. But Sam Presti, I don't understand this guy's eye for talent. He drafted KD, Russ, Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Josh Giddey and the list goes on and on and on. This guy is pretty damn good."

The Thunder could technically made a trade for James this summer, if he’d opt into the final year on his deal. They’d have to part with Josh Giddey, Davis Bertans, Lu Dort and Aleksej Pokusevski for salary purposes, and deal their 2024 first-round pick (via Houston) and 2025 first-round pick, to sweeten the pot for the Lakers.

They could throw in more draft capital, depending on how desperate they are and how much Pelinka and the Lakers demand. It’s not quite James’ track record of going to small market teams, but the Thunder would be a fun team in OKC.

1. Golden State Warriors

The formula for winning a championship with LeBron James has always been to surround him with shooters. It worked in Miami, as they had the likes of Mike Miller, Shane Battier, James Jones, and Ray Allen, who were all snipers from long-range. In fact, the Heat ranked 10th and second overall in 3-poont shooting in Bron’s two championship years with the franchise.

Fast forward to the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers, who ranked seventh in 3-point shooting and had Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith, who both made over 40 percent of their triples in the postseason, in addition to Kevin Love.

The Lakers followed a similar recipe in the 2020 playoffs, as Anthony Davis found his shooting touch in the bubble (38 percent from deep on 2.9 attempts), while James made 37 percent of his triples on a respectable 5.7 attempts. Not to mention Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (37.8 percent on 5.7 attempts) and Rajon Rondo- who isn’t known for his shooting but made 40 percent of his treys on 3.1 tries.

All that to say this: the Golden State Warriors are THE perfect team to follow this formula. Steph Curry is the game’s greatest 3-point shooter ever and he’s shown no signs of slowing down. In fact, he’s averaging 28 points on 42.1 percent from deep on 12 attempts per game- the second-most of his career.

Draymond Green is still a legitimate defender, regardless of how unserious he’s become with his antics. And he’s still a good facilitator.

Klay Thompson has mentioned an interest in returning to the Dubs on a lesser role and he’s still shooting 37 percent from deep on nearly nine tries. Surrounding Steph and Klay with LeBron, who can create shooting opportunities for both of them, is a championship formula. Regardless of how old they all are.

And the Warriors have already begun trying to trade for him.

The Lakers couldn’t do anything to prevent James from opting into the final year of his deal to facilitate a trade, as they’d surely rather get assets in return than lose him for nothing. Especially to another Western Conference in-state rival.