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Where does LeBron James end his career or is it already over? We all know LeBron's set to become a free agent this summer. There's no real indication from him at least as to where he'll go or what he'll do. So, Cash, sitting here with you today, I'd like you to get out your crystal ball and give us your top five most likely destinations for LeBron James. We'll just get right into it and start the list off here at five or if you want to have maybe a couple honorable mentions first as to where he won't be going. Yeah, well, I was going to say I don't think we should take
for granted that it could be the end, right? But I just can't see the league's all-time leading scorer, the longest-tenured player in NBA history, a top-two player at worst all time, one of the most defining athletes of the 21st century just walking away Yeah. without us knowing that his last game was his last game, you know? Like, there has to be some pomp and circumstance to this. Like, we have to be celebrating his last All-Star game, his last appearance in every NBA market, like all of those things. But the one thing I will add, even if you think LeBron wants a retirement tour or whatever, is LeBron also wants to win. I mean, he just said that on his podcast with Steve Nash today when he was talking about his
options, right? That he still wants to win. The thing I think people are taking for granted is that it's going to be very hard to have both a retirement tour and balance like a winning team because if you think about some of the legendary retirement tours we've had recently, like the ones everyone remembers, Kobe Bryant, it came on a 65-loss Lakers team that was very happy to just let him fire away at that stage of his career. Uh Dwyane Wade, it was on a losing team. Dirk Nowitzki, that same year as Dwyane Wade, the Mavs were like finished 15 games out of a playoff spot. So, we actually haven't seen a guy at this level have a retirement tour while playing for a team that's actually trying to win and doesn't need any
distractions. So, I think that's all interesting. Um now, what was your question? Do you want me to get into this top five? Yeah, let's get into the top five. Let's let's yeah, let's Okay, I'm going to eliminate two teams right off the bat and that's uh the Clippers and the Nuggets randomly. Now, people might just be like, "What the hell are you even talking about? The Nuggets aren't on this list." ESPN's Dave McMenamin had reported that league personnel said the Nuggets were an option. I guess maybe the you know, the chance to play with Jokic, two basketball geniuses. But, I'm sorry, all that stuff I talked
about, I can't see that guy walking away without us knowing it was the last game. I also can't see that guy walking away with a random 1-year stop in Denver. Denver. That would be you know, yeah. I like that. I finals, but LeBron's not ending his career there. And then the Clippers give him a chance to stay in LA, could give him like a Kawhi and Garland supporting cast. But, I got to just he went to the Lakers for a reason in 2018, and I just find it hard to believe that he wants to end his career as a Clipper. Yeah, he would be doing that team such a service if he went over and just and it's crazy cuz he wouldn't
have to do anything, change locations at all, and it still feels like that would be a monster like gift from LeBron. Exactly. that. Okay, now let's go to the actual options. Number five, the New York Knicks. Listen, James Dolan, their owner, has said that he expects a title this season, at least the finals. Now, it looks like they're going to get there if they can finish off the Cavs, and they're you know, if you get to the finals, you're obviously have a chance to win it. But, I don't think they're going to beat whoever comes out of the West, and therefore, technically, in their owner's eyes, this season will have been a failure somehow. And when you think of James Dolan and the Knicks,
you know, things have been too quiet and almost too functional there for too long that I actually think it's possible they don't win the championship, that chaos ensues, and like they make changes that they don't necessarily have to make. Yeah. And if that's the case, and LeBron's out there looking for a new team, you could do worse for a retirement tour than trying to be the guy who delivers those rabid Knicks fans that elusive championship they haven't won since 1973. Everyone thought, you know, there was a chance he was going to try to be that guy in 2010 before he made the decision and went to Miami. Maybe at the very end of his career he, you know, he writes that and goes there. But it's
number five on the list. It's It's the least likely option in my opinion. Number four, one of the reunions we're going to talk about today, okay? Miami. The Heat. If LeBron is willing to accept, and I think he might have to in the end, the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which I'll get into later, but essentially it's like 15-ish million dollars, okay, for salary. If he's willing to accept that, the Heat could potentially offer him that after using Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins and picks to trade for another star to pair with Bam Adebayo. So you could be looking at joining a team that has Bam and another star that they trade for and still being able to give LeBron that 15-ish million. That's a
pretty decent big three depending on who that other star is. You know, Pat Riley said he's not retiring, he's not done yet. He wants to throw another parade down Biscayne Boulevard. How awesome would it be That would be. if LeBron Pat Riley they bury the hatchet, they reunite, and they both end their legendary careers helping plan that parade down Biscayne Boulevard. be all-time. Number three, the next reunion, one last Ohio homecoming, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now this would obviously make for a great story. It also makes some sense fit-wise when you consider that basically since LeBron left the one thing they've been missing
in this era of Cavs basketball is that fifth starter, that small forward that can't kind of they can't find to glue all these pieces together. So whether it's as that piece or whether it's they retool after flaming out this year and just need LeBron for other reasons, I think the Cavs are obviously an option, but what people have to realize when they're talking about LeBron and going back to Cleveland is that this would be the least lucrative option for him. Right now the Cavs are the only second apron team in the league. They project as a second apron team again next year. That would mean the only thing they could offer LeBron is the league minimum for his service time. That would be 3.9 million. Yes.
This is a guy that was making like $53 million this year. And even if the Cavs make some moves to get under the second apron, it's almost impossible they can get out of luxury tax territory. So, even if they get under the second apron, but they're still a luxury tax team, then their mid-level exception is like $6 million. So, either way, whether it's four-ish or six-ish, if LeBron wants to end his career with another Cavs homecoming, he's going to have to take a massive pay cut. It would be the least lucrative option. The question, I guess, is how much does that matter to a billionaire who's made like $580 million just on the court in his career.
Probably not that much. Number two, the Golden State Warriors. Oh, man. I was wondering if you'd have him on here. Look, he would It would give him the chance to stay in California, which I think would be important to him at this stage of his career and family life and all that. Probably still get that $15 million I talked about, the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, while partnering with his biggest Finals rival in Steph Curry. Legendary end to both their careers. I mean, Steph would play a few more years, but still, you think of LeBron finishing his career playing with the like his arch nemesis from Finals past. That'd be pretty awesome. And also, it would just be like arguably the
most fascinating group and crop of veterans ever assembled. Not necessarily the best, but the most fascinating when you consider Curry and LeBron and potentially whatever happens with Draymond if he's back. They still have potentially Al Horford back. I'm sure Kevin Durant would probably stop by as well, right? You know, it'd be this like old, creaky team with some upside, but I think it would just be fascinating to see it. And number one, what will it be? Anti-climactic here. It's the Lakers. Okay. I said earlier when I was dismissing the Clippers, in my opinion, he went to the Lakers for a reason in 2018. He envisioned this as the final, last stop of his legendary career,
ending it in purple and gold, restoring the Lakers to glory. He did that in a way in 2020, but he has a chance to do it again with Luka and potentially Austin Reaves. He proved he could be a great third option for those guys when things got rolling for them this season. Gives LA another option to quarterback the offense, take a load off Luka. The question is how much are the Lakers willing to pay for that role? And how much of a pay cut from 52.6 million dollars is LeBron willing to take to stay in LA?
I just think this is the best of both worlds for him and for a team like the Lakers have some things they got to sort out. Like Austin Reaves is the priority, you know, he's a mid-20s in his prime star that they're going to have to resign. But they could give basically Austin Reaves like 40-ish million dollars, keep one of Luke Kennard or Rui Hachimura and still have like 20 to 30 million dollars worth of cap space. They can also go over the cap to resign LeBron because he's their player, they have his bird rights, there's all these things. I think the Lakers that there's a scenario where they could also use some picks to make a trade for a big man.
They need a long-term center. But there is a scenario in my eyes where like they keep Reaves, they keep one of Kennard or Rui, they find a long-term center, and they can still give LeBron even if it is that 15 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception. If that's the best he can do from all these other teams anyway, if it's like that's equivalent-ish money to stay in LA and play with Luka and Reaves and potentially a new center or to go elsewhere and play with I just feel like at the end of the day it's going to be LA, it's going to be the Lakers, and he's going to finish where he started there. And you know, he can have his retirement tour there. I just think even if we're talking retirement tours on a winning team, I think it's easier to do that as a Laker
where he's already been there than it is to say like you know, okay, now he's joining the Knicks for a one-year retirement tour, but they're also occupied trying to win a championship. I just think the easiest, smoothest outcome, even though it's anticlimactic, is just finishing it off with the purple and gold. So my first or my only follow-up question with that is if you do think that's the case, why didn't he sign longer when he last signed with them? Because I think LeBron's career, especially since the decision in 2010 and him launching the player empowerment era in a lot of ways, has been about him making sure that he has maximum control to exert over his career and over the
teams he plays for. And I think he's lost quite a bit of that control because they traded for Luka Dončić and he's clearly the future and like the centerpiece around which everything else orbits in LA, rightfully so. But I think the way he has structured contract it was to give himself options and flexibility this summer and that doesn't necessarily rule out the Lakers. It just gives him more leverage. Yeah. Yeah, I think that makes sense. From my standpoint like LeBron is a massive legacy guy, I think. He's a guy who I despite what he's done, I don't even think he needs to be wary of it considering all he's given to basketball, he cares a lot about his legacy and kind of what he leaves
behind. So for that reason one, I don't think I can't see him going to a new team at this point in his career. I think he sticks with the Lakers as well. I think you know, he with from Kobe to Kareem and all the guys in between like he wants to be a pillar of the LA Lakers. The second thing and I think the more interesting point that you were alluding to, I think he is the exact kind of player it only makes sense and I think that he would do everything he could to do this to go out on top. I and I think that
he'll he'll be very much willing to take a very friendly pay cut to try and navigate and negotiate you know, players coming into the Lakers to give them the best chance which I think gives the Lakers an insane upper hand on anybody because I know he's the oldest player in the NBA but it doesn't matter. He is still so productive and so good and when you can get a guy like that who is very set on trying to win in his final year to take a massive pay cut to bring in even better players, it sets them up in such a perfect position. So I think the Lakers makes the most sense. I obviously it sense why we've got them at one here, but for all those reasons, I think him and the team could be in a
great spot if he returns. If he goes elsewhere, I there's a lot of questions that arise. I think it really does taint his legacy, to be honest with you, and yeah, I just can't really see it unfolding any other way. Yeah, it just he would be most likely taking a pay cut to join a team that isn't guaranteed to be better than next year's version of the Lakers, and to me that doesn't make sense. Right. Exactly. So, yeah, I mean, it's certainly an interesting debate. Not often do you get to sit around and talk about one of, if not the very best player of all time, and where he's going to go while he's playing this good basketball at the age that he's at, but that's just LeBron
James. He's been an anomaly his entire career. Excited to see where he ends up. Let us know in the comments where you think LeBron's going. We'll catch you guys in the next one.
