Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is under contract for the 2023-24 NBA season. But while he is owed over $51 million in 2024-25, that year is a player option for him.
That means he could choose to opt out, become a free agent, and join a new team in the hopes of pursuing another NBA title, or fulfilling other legacy goals of his.
If James does decide to leave Los Angeles, here are three teams who could lure the league's all-time leading scorer to their city.
LeBron James Rumors: 3 teams that could steal star from Lakers in 2024
3. Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic is one of the NBA's premier players, and his do-it-all skillset is somewhat reminiscent of James' versatility on the court. Dallas finished last season with a record of 38-44, missing the playoffs.
However, their roster features a former James sidekick in Kyrie Irving, with the pair last playing together in 2016-17. Irving had demanded a trade in hopes of getting out from underneath James' shadow, and while he hasn't had much playoff success since then, Irving has developed into a truly elite offensive player; a smarter and more efficient version of the guy he was in Cleveland.
During this past free agency period, Irving reportedly reached out to James in an attempt to form a reunion with the Mavericks, signaling that whatever possessed Irving to leave James before is now water under the bridge.
It remains to be seen what exactly a reunion would look like and the roster gymnastics that Mark Cuban would need to perform in order to land James, but if he could make it work without jettisoning too much depth, the Mavericks could pose a serious threat to the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference.
Beyond Doncic and Irving, Dallas has players like Josh Green, Seth Curry, Tim Hardaway Jr., Richaun Holmes, Maxi Kleber, and Grant Williams, all of whom could be quality role players on a championship team led by a big 3 of Doncic, Irving, and James. If the latter two have patched up their relationship, this could be a legitimate possibility next offseason.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
James' hometown team has already seen him come and go twice, so what's once more? The first time James departed in 2010, the Cavs struggled mightily for four years, but did accumulate plenty of high draft picks that ended up being used to build James' next squad.
The first piece was the aforementioned Kyrie Irving, followed by Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, Anthony Bennett, and Andrew Wiggins, the last of which never played for Cleveland because of what happened in the summer of 2014.
In an article with Sports Illustrated, James announced that he was returning to the Cavaliers, and after that, the league's worst-kept secret was that Wiggins would be traded for Minnesota Timberwolves' All-Star Kevin Love.
The Cavs added some ring-chasing veterans and looked like they were on their way to a title, until Love's shoulder was ripped out of its socket by the Boston Celtics' Kelly Olynyk in the first round of the playoffs, and Cleveland fell to the Golden State Warriors in the Finals, beginning one of the league's fiercest rivalries of the decade.
Fast-forward to today, and the Cavs are in much better shape after James' second departure. All-Stars Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and All-Defensive Team member Evan Mobley lead the group, while role players such as Caris LeVert, Max Strus, Georges Niang, and Isaac Okoro provide support.
The roster is top-heavy, and the team was dominated by the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs last season, but there is a plethora of young talent in that starting lineup, and all they're lacking is a physical offensive wing...
1. Whichever team drafts Bronny James
We've known for years now that James wants to play with his oldest son, Bronny, who should arrive in the league for the 2024-25 campaign. The younger James is slated to play this season at USC, and recently suffered a cardiac arrest at a practice, which put his playing future in doubt. Reports and statements indicate that James Jr. should make a full recovery and return to basketball, which is great to hear.
Various mock drafts project him to be a late-first or even second-round pick according to his ability and status as a prospect, but if teams are confident that drafting Bronny means they will land his father in free agency, there's a very good chance that he ends up being a lottery pick.
James Jr. may garner a lot of attention because of his last name, but from a strictly on-court perspective, he is a quality prospect in his own right. 247 Sports has him as the 28th-ranked player in his class, seventh in the state of California, and the sixth-ranked combo guard for the class of 2023. It's unfair to compare him to the once-in-a-lifetime prospect that his father was, but Bronny is solid on
For what it's worth, the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics all have two first-round picks next year, so those are all teams to potentially keep an eye on for the James sweepstakes.