Perhaps everyone trying to figure out where LeBron James will play next season can stop trying. LeBron himself may not know.
That’s the latest wrinkle in an NBA free agency that has now stretched into its fourth week, with James still unsigned and seemingly everyone around the league waiting for an answer.
Joe Vardon of The Athletic spoke with a source close to James who offered perhaps the best description yet of where things stand.
“Nobody knows right now except LeBron,” the source told Vardon, “and I’m not even sure LeBron knows.”
Well then. James has been linked most prominently to the Cavaliers, Heat, 76ers and Warriors, with the Timberwolves also mentioned along the way. The Warriors, though, reportedly aren’t feeling particularly optimistic about their chances.
As we relayed earlier, ESPN’s Anthony Slater said Golden State has been given “no sign or hint” that James is headed there and believes it isn’t near the top of his list.
The Cavs, meanwhile, continue to wait. So does pretty much everybody else.
James hasn’t offered many clues publicly. At Fanatics Fest last week, he did explain what he’s looking for in his next — and perhaps final — NBA destination.
“I want to compete at a high level,” James said. “I want to join a franchise that shares the same model as myself. That’s like practicing championship habits every day.”
That certainly sounds like a player looking for a legitimate opportunity to win another championship. It doesn’t tell us where.
James became an unrestricted free agent after informing the Lakers earlier this month that he would not return for a ninth season in Los Angeles. He averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds last season, then raised his scoring average to 23.2 points in 10 playoff games.
He turns 42 in December, so there aren’t many of these decisions left. Maybe that’s part of why this one is taking so long.
There have been recruiting pitches. There have been rumors. There have been social-media clues, accidental livestreams, supposed clues hidden inside social-media profiles and just about everything else imaginable.
Three-plus weeks later, we’re apparently right back where we started.
LeBron will tell everyone when LeBron is ready. And according to someone close to him, he may first have to tell himself.
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