LeBron is still the face of the NBA, whether you like him or not. He has the popularity and skill, even at his age, to draw in viewers and make members of his fanbase hop on the bandwagon of any team he joins. That possibility is no more prevalent than it is now, with James looking to depart Los Angeles in the off-season and take his talents to a potential fourth home.
LeBron's agent, Rich Paul, outlined some defining factors that we'll be going into the decision;
- Team needs to pay more than the minimum to obtain LeBron
- Team needs to have an already established identity and not need to break apart to afford LeBron
- Team needs to be a contender for a championship
Without these factors, it's hard to see LeBron go to a franchise that doesn't line up with his career trajectory of still wanting to play meaningful basketball, even if it's only for one or two years.
Here are some of the destinations I can see LeBron ending up in by the end of the offseason.
Golden State Warriors
There's no doubt that some fans believe LeBron's legacy and integrity as a player will take a hit if he were to join the very same team that played against him in four straight finals. But at the same time, the duo of Stephen Curry and LeBron may be too enticing to disregard. For LeBron, it definitely looks that way, with the Warriors growing more by the day as the dark horse team to win the sweepstakes.
Draymond Green has been doing his load of recruiting in person recently, and with his history of recruiting players like Kevin Durant to Golden State, the Warriors would be relying on him for good reason, especially going off of his already well-established friendship with LeBron.
With the loss of Jimmy Butler due to an ACL injury, LeBron would replace his role in the frontcourt and help relieve some of the scoring pressure off Curry. However, apart from the greatest shooter of all time, there isn't much else talent-wise that would convince the King.
