LeBron James would have taken his talents to Madison Square Garden next season had the building’s tenants not just won the NBA title, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul said.
Given the New York Knicks ended their 53-year NBA title drought last month, James and Paul have been left to examine their options with the former once again testing free agency. Paul, who also is James’ agent, used a whiteboard to dissect his client’s potential destinations during the latest episode of his “Game Over” podcast.
“If the Knicks hadn’t won, there would be no board,” Paul said. “He’d be going to the Knicks.”
That said, the Knicks are not out of contention to land James, who on Tuesday informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he will continue his NBA career elsewhere.
James, 41, has spent the past eight seasons with the Lakers, highlighted by helping the franchise win the 2020 NBA title.
Paul, however, knows James would come under fire if he joined the Knicks and inadvertently became the face of the defending champions.
“When LeBron comes onto your team, I don’t care if you just won a championship, I don’t care if you’ve been the best player — it’s different, man,” Paul said. “Jalen Brunson would have to literally pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey man, it’s no issue with me. It’s no issue with me.’ I’m not saying that would make his decision, but you’ve gotta respect that.”
The Philadelphia 76ers garnered Paul’s attention given their recent moves, namely acquiring star guard Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics for 36-year-old Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
“How could you not have the attention when you have (Tyrese) Maxey, (V.J.) Edgecombe, Brown and (Joel) Embiid?” asked Paul, who also noted James’ had worked with new 76ers president Mike Gansey during his previous stint in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets were solid contenders on the whiteboard, while the Golden State Warriors, Celtics, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks also serve as potential candidates.
A four-time NBA MVP and the league’s all-time leading scorer, James just completed his record-setting 23rd NBA season. He officially became a free agent at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds this past season with the Lakers. The 22-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion is the all-time leader in games (1,622) and points (43,440).
