As Shams Charania reported during an appearance on ESPN on Friday morning (YouTube link), LeBron James and agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports are in “fact-finding mode” as they consider where the 22-time All-Star will play in 2026/27.
In the latest episode of his Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman (Spotify link), Paul provided some insight into some of the factors going into that decision, breaking out a white board to take a closer look at several of the options his star client is considering.
Paul broke down how James would fit into the starting lineups for the Sixers, Heat, Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Cavaliers, while also listing five other teams on the periphery of his board: the Warriors, Mavericks, Knicks, Spurs, and Celtics.
Pressed by Kellerman about why Golden State – long considered one of the frontrunners – were off to the side instead of at the center of his board, Paul said not to read too much into the placement of specific teams and suggested that the idea of playing alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green holds real appeal to James. Still, Anthony Slater of ESPN reported on Thursday that the Warriors don’t necessarily believe they’re a frontrunner, and Charania reiterated that message on Friday (Twitter video link).
Although Paul heavily implied that LeBron will end up choosing a destination from that group of 10, he told Kellerman that “outside of one or two,” he has had heard from nearly every team in the league — even if those teams were just making a check-in call out of due diligence and don’t really expect to land the four-time MVP.
Notably, Paul also pushed back on Kellerman’s assumption that 2026/27 will be James’ last season, pointing out that hasn’t been decided yet.
“No one’s said this is going to be his last year,” Paul said, adding that LeBron “got the green light” from his family to play anywhere he wants to (Twitter video link).
The segment is absolutely worth checking out in full, but here are some highlights from Paul’s breakdown:
- The presence of Mike Gansey in Philadelphia is noteworthy, according to Paul, who observed that James has known the Sixers‘ new president of basketball operations since they competed against one another as high school players in Ohio. Paul added that LeBron “loves” Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey and observed that the 41-year-old would be an obvious fit at power forward alongside Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid, writes Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice (Twitter video link).
- Paul considers the fact that Darius Garland no longer plays for the Cavaliers a minus, explaining that LeBron “loves Garland like he loves Maxey.” However, he said there are plenty of factors working in Cleveland’s favor, including James’ potential fit in the starting five next to Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, as well as the presence of assistant general manager Brandon Weems, a longtime friend of LeBron (Twitter video link).
- Within a discussion about the Knicks, Paul said they’ve “checked in” and would likely be at the top of James’ list if they weren’t coming off a championship. “If the Knicks wouldn’t have won, there’d be no board,” Paul said. “He’d be going to the Knicks.” While Paul didn’t rule out the possibility of LeBron landing in New York, he outlined the potential complications and noted that Jalen Brunson‘s endorsement would be important (Twitter video link). For what it’s worth, both Ian Begley of SNY.tv and Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link) have heard that New York is very unlikely to be James’ landing spot.
- Asked by Kellerman if the Nuggets are really receiving legitimate consideration, Paul said they wouldn’t be on the board if they weren’t, and pointed to James’ friendship with team governor Josh Kroenke as well as the basketball fit alongside Nikola Jokic.
- Paul also spoke about what the Timberwolves (Twitter video link), Mavericks (Twitter video link), and Heat (Twitter video link) have working in their favor, highlighting the on-court fit for a Minnesota team that is losing its top two power forwards, singling out new Mavs president Masai Ujiri as an intriguing prospective partner, and noting that LeBron would be comfortable reuniting with Erik Spoelstra and Pat Riley in Miami.
