[Stein] Warriors, who league sources say have maintained a longstanding interest in bringing (LeBron) James to Northern California, will be severely limited in what they can offer. James’ hometown Cleveland Cavaliers have even less…other team you could credibly add to the shortlist is the Clippers
Re-signing him at a much lower number is believed to appeal to the Lakers … but selling one of the game’s all-time greats on the sort of steep discount he’s never taken is thorny. To put it mildly.
Is James really going to be amenable to playing at a drastically reduced rate?
The only comfort for the Lakers there, before any such discount talks get serious, is that pretty much any other team that would conceivably interest James as a potential destination faces their own financial challenges.
The Golden State Warriors, who league sources say have maintained a longstanding interest in bringing James to Northern California, will be severely limited in what they can offer. James’ hometown Cleveland Cavaliers have even less financial flexibility than the Warriors and are *so* far away from all the Tinseltown ties that LeBron and his family have established during this run as a Laker … but no one wants to totally rule that one out because of the storybook ending factor. (Also: The Cavs were once resistant to the idea of another reunion, but they might be more open to a third marriage given that they’re facing the prospect of a third successive humbling postseason after failing to close out Detroit at home on Friday night and now need to win a Game 7 on the road Sunday to keep their season alive.)
Beyond that?
James’ deep fondness for Madison Square Garden has been known for years, but the Knicks — suddenly favorites to win the East and go to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 — could certainly opt to stay on their current path. The only other team you could credibly add to the shortlist is the Clippers, who employ James’ former Cavaliers coach (Tyronn Lue) and do play in Los Angeles.
Source: https://marcstein.substack.com/p/whats-next-for-lebron-james-4f7