LeBron James is narrowing his choices, and the shortlist is fascinating. According to the latest reporting, the LeBron sweepstakes are effectively down to two teams: the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
One is a full-circle homecoming. The other is a superteam formation with Steph Curry that would break the internet on day one.
Let’s take Cleveland first. LeBron winning a title there in 2016 is arguably the biggest moment in Cleveland sports history. Coming back to Ohio to finish his career next to Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley makes emotional sense. It also makes basketball sense, because that Cavs core has been begging for another star wing to push them over the top.
Now Golden State. LeBron and Steph on the same team. That is a story that writes itself. The Warriors have been trying to get another Finals run out of Steph and Draymond, and adding LeBron would immediately make them dangerous in a wide-open West.
The catch is money. LeBron would have to take a discount to get to Golden State. Cleveland has more cap flexibility because they have been planning for this and have Bronny already on the roster. That is a real factor. LeBron has never been a guy who plays for peanuts, but the family aspect could tilt things.
Reports have also flagged the Nuggets as a dark horse “outlier” team, which is a fun idea if you love the concept of LeBron and Nikola Jokic on the same team. Realistically, it is a stretch. Denver does not have the cap room without a lot of complicated moves.
Where does the smart money go? Cleveland has the edge. It is the emotional call, it is the practical call, and it lets LeBron finish where it started. He also gets to play with his son on a real team, which is the whole point of the last chapter of this thing.
Golden State is not out of it. If Steph made a personal ask, or if the Warriors got creative with contract structure, this could still happen. The idea alone is enough to make sports talk radio implode for a week.
Either way, the Lakers era is over. That much is settled. LeBron is leaving Los Angeles, and the only remaining question is whether he heads to San Francisco or comes home. Whichever team he picks changes the entire NBA landscape.
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.
