LeBron James still has not told anyone where he is signing, but he sure sounded like a man ready to head East during his live “Mind the Game” podcast taping at Fanatics Fest on Thursday.
Sitting next to Tyrese Haliburton in front of a live crowd, LeBron did what LeBron always does. He danced around the free agency question, joked with fans about which team he should pick, and then dropped a line that felt way too specific to be an accident.
“I think the excitement that has come into the Eastern Conference this offseason has definitely been talked about a lot more,” James said. He then rattled off the exact list of teams he seems most interested in.
He shouted out Jaylen Brown going to Philly. He shouted out Giannis Antetokounmpo landing in Miami. He mentioned Boston retooling and Cleveland reloading. He even threw in the Knicks, the Magic, and the Pistons for good measure.
Then came the kicker. “I think the East right now is going to be very exciting, and for the first time in a long time coming into preseason, the Eastern Conference will probably be talked about a little more than the Western Conference.”
Come on. That is not a coincidence.
The 76ers, Heat and Cavs Look Like the Real Field
LeBron has been publicly linked to Philadelphia, Miami and Cleveland for weeks. All three teams are in the Eastern Conference. All three teams got mentioned in his answer. Do the math.
The Sixers just added Jaylen Brown, so a LeBron pairing next to a healthy Joel Embiid and Brown might be the single most terrifying starting five in the league on paper. Miami has Giannis and Bam Adebayo, and Pat Riley has already admitted the Heat are in the running. Cleveland has the roster, the coaching setup, and the sentimental pull of home.
The Warriors Are Bracing for Bad News
Golden State was viewed as the biggest Western Conference threat to steal LeBron, but Marc Spears of Andscape said on ESPN this week that the Warriors internally feel like a dark horse now. That is the polite way of saying they think they are losing.
Steve Kerr and Draymond Green have made it clear they want LeBron. The problem is LeBron does not sound like a guy who wants Golden State. When you spend half a podcast segment praising the East, you are not exactly building anticipation for a run through Denver and Oklahoma City in the playoffs.
What Comes Next
NBA Summer League wraps up on July 19. The World Cup final is that same day. Reporters believe LeBron is waiting for the news cycle to open up before pulling the trigger on his decision.
That means fans are likely staring down a resolution inside of a week. And if the Fanatics Fest hints are any indication, the Western Conference should stop making cap projections that include a 41-year-old superstar.
The Bron sweepstakes are just about done. The East is winning.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
