When LeBron James has been a free agent in the past, he’s been pretty exclusive about which teams he allows to pursue him. Though far more teams tried to get him, in his past three legitimate free agencies, he and agent Rich Paul have taken 14 total meetings:
In 2010, James met with the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. He wound up signing with the Heat.
In 2014, Rich Paul conducted meetings on James’ behalf with the Heat, Cavaliers, Bulls, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers. James would later meet with the Heat personally as well as the Cavaliers before ultimately returning to Cleveland.
In 2018, James met with the Lakers, while Paul met with the 76ers on his behalf. He ultimately joined the Lakers.
But he’s taking a different approach to his 2026 free agency. It’s July 2, and the only team he’s known to have ruled out is the Lakers. Conversations have been held, and interest has seemingly been expressed, but it does not seem as though James is in any rush to make up his mind, nor has a field truly been set. He has essentially told the league to come and get him.
So you know what? If any team can get Rich Paul on the phone right now and try to sell James on a future playing for them, why don’t we make the pitch? Below, we’re going to make the pitch for all 29 non-Laker teams and rank them based on their likelihood of success.
As much of the reporting has thus far suggested, the primary driver for James here is going to be happiness. What exactly does that mean? The ability to legitimately compete for a championship, for one. Playing in a market that is, for one reason or another, desirable is another. Personal relationships with key stakeholders help. And while money will by no means be a dealbreaker for those who don’t have it, the ability to pay James a salary commensurate with his stature in the sport certainly doesn’t hurt.
Something further to keep in mind: the fact that James is seemingly open to taking a minimum or close to minimum salary means that he is going to generate a substantial amount of surplus value for whichever team he signs with. Having, say, a $30 million player count for less than $3 million against the cap is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for front offices. James, therefore, has the leverage to make some requests here. With that in mind, a category we will keep in mind will be what sort of moves these teams can still make to appeal to James.
Got it? Good. Let’s begin
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- Memphis Grizzlies
The pitch: “You started your career by playing with Carlos Boozer for a year. Finish your career by playing with Cameron Boozer for a year. Plus, there will probably be an opportunity for a pretty lucrative Hyatt sponsorship here.”
Likelihood of success: Non-existent. He literally said he might have “pulled an Eli Manning” to avoid playing for the Grizzlies had they drafted him.
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