In the wake of advancing to his eighth consecutive NBA Finals appearance, LeBron James now looks for redemption against the Golden State Warriors in his quest for a fourth championship.
Once the dust settles and a winner is crowned, James will soon find himself in the spotlight again for the start of free agency on July 1. With roughly a month until that point is reached, it’s still anyone’s guess on where James will ultimately wind up for the 2018-19 season and beyond.
Colin Cowherd revealed on his show that James’ camp is skeptical that there is a ideal destination in free agency, intimating the Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers are the most-likely potential landing spots:
“I have it sourced that LeBron’s contacts, his group, believe there is no perfect option. There’s four, none are ideal, all have issues.”
The Lakers have long been linked to James, particularly since clearing the necessary salary cap space to sign two maximum-contract free agents, but a recent report suggested that the 76ers may be the favorites to sign him.
Though, that was prior to 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo becoming embattled in a social media scandal over fake Twitter accounts that may have divulged sensitive information.
Nonetheless, James reportedly prefers staying in the Eastern Conference and wants to play off ball next season. That leaves Philadelphia as an obvious suitor, given their intriguing young core of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and plentiful amount of cap space.
The Rockets are an intriguing destination for James, given his noted desire to eventually team up with one of his best friends in Chris Paul. However, Houston would have to pull off some serious roster maneuvering to fit James under the salary cap next season.
James could also decide to remain with the Cavaliers, but most pundits expect him to depart for another franchise.
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