“Not one, not two, not three, not four.” Those words seem like an eternity ago, but LeBron James‘ time in South Beach might be over. James, the face of the National Basketball Association, the league’s best, yet most-scrutinized player, the King and the villain, is once again an unrestricted free agent.
While there most likely won’t be a “Decision Part II”, James’ decision can, and will, change the topography of the NBA. There are a handful of teams with enough salary cap space available, or with the ability to make moves to open up the necessary cap room, to make this recruitment period exciting.
James might decide to remain in South Beach with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to attempt his embellished goal of eight NBA Titles. He might decide to head west, or he might even return to Cleveland and attempt to finally deliver a championship to his home town team. Either way, the whole circus around James’ decision is bound to be entertaining.
James is already 29-years-old and at this point, winning is what matters most to him. With that in mind, here are the five landing spots that make the most sense for King James if he wants to continue climbing the championship ladder.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
When LeBron James entered the league in 2003 as an 18-year-old rookie, his first and only goal was to deliver a championship to the city of Cleveland. He had an opportunity to do so in 2007, but that Cavs team was severely undermanned against the San Antonio Spurs and James and company were swept in four games.
Now, James has a chance to return home and make true to his original promise. If the Cavaliers decide not to exercise player options on Anderson Varejao and Scotty Hopson, they’ll only be tied to a little over $32 milllion heading into next year. That gives Cleveland more than enough money to give James a max-deal and still make a run at another mid-to-upper level free agent. Assuming the Cavaliers accepts Varejao’s option and declines Hopson’s, the team will still have roughly $20-million in cap space to work with.
If James agrees to that deal, his supporting cast in Cleveland would be leaps and bounds better than any of his previous supporting casts in Cleveland. The Cavaliers selected Andrew Wiggins with the top pick in the NBA Draft and could add another young impact player to play alongside Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson, and James — depending on whether Irving signs a max extension this summer.
In the Eastern Conference, that starting lineup would be more than enough to compete with the top dogs. James could pretty much carry any team in the Eastern Conference to playoffs by himself. Adding the reigning All-Star game MVP, the top pick in the draft, and some other young assets to the mix would make Cleveland a contender from day one.
4. Phoenix Suns
Let’s start off by making one thing clear. There’s a snowball’s chance in hell of LeBron James signing with Phoenix, but it certainly would be a great fit schematically for him. The Suns are an up-and-coming team with a ton of cap space and play an exciting brand of basketball.
While some other teams will only be able to offer James close to a max contract, the Suns have enough cap space to give him the full max, match any offer for Eric Bledsoe as a restricted free agent this summer, and still have enough money to be big time players in next summer’s free agency period. They also have more first round picks than they know what do to with (three next year), so acquiring another NBA star isn’t totally out of question either. As we learned Sunday afternoon, the Suns are hoping to team James and his good friend Carmelo Anthony, and remain the only team who could pay both a max salary without breaking up their core backcourt of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe with Miles Plumlee at center.
On the court, James would fit nicely into Jeff Hornacek’s run-and-gun offensive system. James is as good as anyone in the NBA in the open court and the Suns love to get out in transition. He’d be able to take some of the ball-handling duties away from Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic, who would be the first true point guard he’s ever played with in his career. The Suns’ big men are more perimeter oriented than post oriented, so James would have free reign to post up whenever he wanted too. Markieff Morris is most effective from the midrange area and Channing Frye – if the team re-signs him – is most effective from beyond the arc.
Phoenix also has arguably the best training staff in the NBA, which is something James may take into consideration as well. The 29 year old has already played nearly 28,000 minutes throughout his 10-year career.
This move is unlikely to happen, but it would be a nice fit.
3. Houston Rockets
Talent trumps scheme, which is why Houston is a more attractive destination for LeBron than Phoenix is. James isn’t a perfect fit alongside Dwight Howard and James Harden, but that trio would create the most talented “Big 3” in the NBA.
The Rockets would have to make some moves to clear up the necessary cap space to sign James, but GM Daryl Morey is a magician when it comes to doing just that. If Morey can find trade partners for Jeremy Lin, Donatas Motiejunas and Isaiah Canaan, the team would open up about $31 million in cap space which is more than enough money to give LeBron a maximum contract.
System-wise, this isn’t a perfect fit for James. Harden likes to dribble the air out of the rock and use high pick-and-rolls all day, which would mean less touches for James. Howard doesn’t have any sort of offensive game outside of the block, so there wouldn’t be nearly as much room for James to work down low. However, James and Wade weren’t a perfect match either but those two found a way to make it work in Miami.
The Rockets struggled defensively last year, but adding James would solve a lot of those issues. Howard is an elite rim protector, Patrick Beverley is an elite on-ball defender, and James is arguably the best all-around defender in the league.
Talent trumps the right fit sometimes, and a roster featuring James, Howard, Harden, Parsons and company would be one of the most talented in the Association.
Click for the top 2, the order of which might surprise you…
2. Miami Heat
The original “Big 3” in Miami isn’t what it used to be, but if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. LeBron’s tenure in South Beach hasn’t lived up to the unobtainable original expectations, but it’s hard to argue against four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals and two championships.
Assuming Pat Riley finds a way to keep Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Heat jerseys, Miami will actually have some cap flexibility to work with this offseason. Both Bosh and Wade are willing to take less so LeBron can make the max money he’s looking for this summer. With all three stars opting out, they’ve got almost as much as other teams on this list, plus they’ve earned LeBron’s confidence by putting enough around him to appear in four straight Finals and capture two titles.
There are definitely some players who could bolster Miami’s supporting cast who can fit in with a max for LeBron, including Darren Collison and Marvin Williams. Miami still has Bosh and whatever is left of Wade, which is more than enough to compete in the Eastern Conference.
Maybe Riley can persuade Wade to sit out until mid-March and start his season as the playoff race really starts to heat up. He’d certainly have more left in his tank than he did in the past two NBA Finals if his season started after the All-Star break. Then again, he missed 28 games this season to rest up for the playoffs, and still struggled when the Heat needed him in the Finals against San Antonio.
If titles are what LeBron wants, he’d be smart to stay in the Eastern Conference where the road to the Finals is significantly easier. A fifth consecutive trip the finals is more than obtainable with this current Heat squad.
1. Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are a prominent wing scorer away from being serious contenders. The core of Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, and Jimmy Butler was good enough to win 48 games in the Eastern Conference this year, so imagine the damage a Bulls’ team with James and healthy Derrick Rose could do.
If Chicago uses its amnesty clause on Carlos Boozer, it’d save the team about $13 million. If it can find a trade partner for Mike Dunleavy Jr., it’d open up another $5 million. If the Bulls use one of their two first-round picks on a European player that would stay overseas for a year or two, Chicago would be right in the ballpark for LeBron’s services.
Right off the bat, James presence would take the pressure off of Rose to return to his MVP form after missing the most of two consecutive seasons with injuries in both knees.
When Rose took the court for 10 games in 2013, he appeared to be forcing the action, which led to a subpar 35 percent shooting from the field. With James shouldering the scoring load, Rose could ease his way back into the game. The post area is already a bit clogged with Noah and Gibson, but Noah is a willing and capable passer from the high post, which would give James room to operate on the block. If Gibson and Noah are on the floor together, James would have to operate on the perimeter, but James’ ability to play any of the five positions on the floor makes him the most lineup-friendly player in the league.
The Bulls are already an elite defensive team and adding James — arguably the league’s most versatile defender — to the mix is a scary thought for opposing teams.
The road to the Finals through the East is much easier than it is in the West. This Bulls’ team, sans Rose, was a top-four seed, but a Bulls’ team with Rose and James would have to be considered the favorite to represent the East in the Finals.
To top it all off, nothing would hurt Cleveland fans and LeBron haters more than seeing him go to another Central Division team.
If LeBron James is serious about winning titles, the Chicago Bulls offer him the best chance to do so.
Where does James end up?
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