Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, an impending free agent, has drawn interest from 10-12 teams, his longtime agent Rich Paul said Friday during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
The 41-year-old James, who has played 23 NBA seasons, averaged 20.9 points on 51.5 percent shooting, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds last year.
It’s no surprise at least one-third of the league is interested in James. He’s defying time and logic with his production well into his third decade and past the age of 40.
However, NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported Tuesday that staying with the Lakers “is widely believed to be his preferred choice because he is so entrenched” with the franchise.
James has been in L.A. for eight years now, and his eldest son, Bronny, is entering the third year of his four-year rookie contract with the team.
There are two other logical stops. One is the Golden State Warriors, where he can team up with Stephen Curry and recreate the magic from leading Team USA to a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. A league source told Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area that James has “curiosity” about playing for Golden State.
The other is James’ home-state team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who he played for from 2003-2010 and again from 2014-2018. James could, in theory, return to Cleveland for a farewell tour of sorts before he retires.
However, L.A. makes more sense for a few reasons. He can still be on the same team as his son, he can stay in the place he’s called home for nearly a decade now and he can play alongside five-time All-NBA guard Luka Dončić.
In addition, James can, in theory, play for the max in L.A. (up to $57.75 million), per Bryan Toporek for Silver Screen and Roll, although he did note that “he isn’t likely to find any team willing to shell out that kind of money for him, not even the Lakers.”
Golden State and Cleveland’s financial purses will not be nearly as big, per Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors. Golden State would be limited to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15 million per year), and the Cavs could only offer James a minimum-salary deal (closer to $4 million).
Last year’s team won 53 games and reached the second round of the playoffs. Granted, the shorthanded squad (Dončić missed the playoffs with a hamstring strain) got swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder, but one can presume L.A. will more likely than not be a winning team in 2026-27.
Ultimately, the signs point toward James heading back to L.A., but nothing is set in stone right now.