As he prepares to sign with a new franchise ahead of his unprecedented 24th NBA season, some of LeBron James’s suitors make incredible narrative sense.
James began his career with the Cavaliers, later returning to the franchise and leading it to its first NBA title. In between those two Cleveland stints, he won two championships with the Heat, teaming with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form one of the great trios in NBA history. James has been connected to the Warriors for weeks, with the chance to remain in California and team up with fellow generational superstar Steph Curry and good friend Draymond Green representing a very interesting option.
And then there are the wild cards. Coming off of a first-round upset of the Celtics, the 76ers made a stunning trade for Boston’s Jaylen Brown, and now have the look of a true Eastern Conference contender. The Timberwolves made their own aggressive trade, adding LaMelo Ball to the backcourt led by Anthony Edwards. Minnesota has been a playoff stalwart during Edward’s run, and could certainly use an All-Star veteran forward.
Admittedly, it is difficult to picture James in a Sixers or T’Wolves jersey in the twilight of his career. But those rosters may be more championship-ready than the others, even after the Cavs’ run to the Eastern Conference finals and Miami’s acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo. And over the last few days, their executives have made that case publicly, and not just in voice memos to James through his agent Rich Paul.
Bob Myers said 76ers represent LeBron James’s “best chance to win” on Rich Paul’s podcast
Myers, best known for his work as Golden State’s general manager and team president from 2012 to ‘23, now serves as president of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment—owner of the 76ers. Appearing on Paul’s Game Over podcast last week, he argued that Philadelphia represents James’s best chance to compete for a championship.
“If you’re talking about the Sixers, if he was here, I’d say, ‘I honestly believe this is your best chance to win. You have to decide all the other things that are equally important,’” Myers said. “Because it’s his life. He has to play. He has to face the scrutiny of his decision. ... What I would just say is, if it’s about winning—let’s talk about this team. Because you can win here in Philadelphia.”
Days later, new 76ers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey spoke to The Athletic about his recruitment of James.
“If he decides to come here, we’re going to be even better,” he said.
“We’ve had conversations with Rich, really since the Jaylen trade. LeBron and his camp have kept quiet, and there has been speculation for different teams. But we’d obviously love to have LeBron. I respect the heck out of him. In my opinion, he’s the best player of all time. I think his decision is dragging out because he has a lot of good options and he wants to figure it out. He would obviously add a lot to our team. But at the end of the day, I know he’s going to make the right decision for him and his family.”
Gansey and James are extremely familiar, dating back to their high school hoops days. Like James, Gansey was an all-state basketball selection in Ohio in 2001, and finished behind the St. Vincent-St. Mary superstar for Mr. Basketball honors in the state. 15 years later, and Gansey worked in the Cavaliers front office when LeBron, Kyrie Irving & Co. delivered the team its first title.
Gansey landed the Philadelphia job after the franchise ousted Daryl Morey. He already scored one coup with the trade for Brown, unloading a very bad Paul George contract in the process. Now, he has his sights on forming a truly terrifying Sixers starting five, if Philly can plug James in at the four alongside Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown and Joel Embiid.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports that Maxey, Brown and Embiid have been in contact with James, as more of his potential teammates across the league make their pitches. It is unclear when he’ll settle on a choice, but none of the teams involved have been particularly shy about making their pursuits public.
The Timberwolves are betting on the basketball fit with James
Minnesota officially welcomed Ball to the Wolves on Tuesday, but naturally, there was plenty of chatter about James amid the rumors that he is seriously considering the franchise.
Even compared to Philadelphia, James has very little connection to Minnesota. He played on the United States’s 2024 Summer Olympics team with Anthony Edwards. Reserve Enrique Freeman is a Cleveland native who played college hoops at Akron; it is conceivable their paths have crossed. Otherwise, James would be choosing a brand new situation, which has not been his M.O. After being drafted to his home-state Cavs, James joined friends with the Heat, returned to Cleveland, and then opted for Los Angeles, where he spent most of his time in the offseason.
But as with the Sixers, the basketball fit is fairly tantalizing. James could be an extremely valuable veteran forward, joining forces with a young dynamo in Edwards, an up-and-coming star in Jaden McDaniels and an uber-talented-if-mercurial lead guard in Ball.
Team president Tim Connelly believes the basketball potential speaks for itself as they try and lure James to the Upper Midwest.
Tim Connelly made an incredibly effective unofficial recruitment pitch to persuade LeBron James to join the Minnesota Timberwolves. pic.twitter.com/uAMFGcZ4rq
— SneakerReporter (@SneakerReporter) July 14, 2026
“The recruitment is this team. I think obviously he’s an unbelievable player,” Connelly said Tuesday. “Whatever decision he makes, it’s going to be the right one. There’s a lot going on. When you’re as great as he is, you should have optionality. I think when you look at our team, it’s hard not to be excited about what we have.
“We have the best coach [Chris Finch], we have amazing fans. We’ve had, the last couple of years, our success has been as good as anybody outside of the guys who’ve won it all. Not just speaking to LeBron, any free agent, this is a place where you’re going to have a lot of fun, win a lot of games, and we’re trying to change the narrative about how this organization is viewed. So we’re proud of who we are, and certainly wherever LeBron ends up’s going to make that place much, much, much better, but it’s hard not to look at LaMelo and Jaden and Rudy [Gobert] and Ant and Josh [Green]. We saw what [Terrence Shannon Jr.] did in the postseason. I think [Joan] Beringer has a chance to be a special player. We’re extremely excited to get Ayo [Dosunmu] back, that was a pretty competitive market, he had options all over the league.
“I like who we are, certainly we’re pretty proud of who we are, so hopefully that’s appealing not just to LeBron but any free agent.”
LeBron can put a neat bow on his career with a return to the Cavaliers or the Heat, and certainly anyone would enjoy watching him run out there with Curry. But if he really wants to shoot for a fifth ring, the fits in Minnesota and Philadelphia may be the best he has available, and those teams aren’t backing down as contenders, even if they feel like longshots.
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