Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Rich Paul, the agent for NBA superstar LeBron James, said Monday his 41-year-old client has 10 realistic destinations next season after saying he will leave the Los Angeles Lakers. James, a four-time NBA champion and four-time Most Valuable Player, announced earlier this week he would not return to the Lakers and seeks a new team in free agency for his 24th NBA campaign.
Paul said he has fielded a number of calls from NBA teams, telling James they were a tribute to his career and expected skill at 41. “These calls I’m getting are a true testament to how you have respect in this game,” Paul said he told James in an edition of the agent’s “Game Over” podcast released on Friday. A large whiteboard showed teams Paul said would be a logical fit for James, including the Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
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In hyping the case for his client, Paul also mentioned Dallas, Boston, San Antonio, and New York, saying James would be bound for the Knicks had they not won the NBA title last month. “If the Knicks hadn’t have won, there wouldn’t even be no board. He would be going to the Knicks,” Paul said. Philadelphia made a strong case by landing Jaylen Brown from Boston in a reported deal that cannot be signed or confirmed until next week under NBA free agency rules. Adding James to a starting squad of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Brown would create a formidable lineup, Paul notes.
“How could not have (his) attention when you have Maxey, Edgecombe, Brown, and Embiid?” Paul said, adding that James “unlocks everything there” and “everything changed” when Brown went there. Paul also looked at the Miami Heat, who added Giannis Antetokounmpo to Bam Adebayo, Davion Mitchell, and Andrew Wiggins, as well as Denver and Minnesota. Asked about some of the longshot mentions such as San Antonio or Boston, Paul said if a club wasn’t in consideration, “they wouldn’t be on the board.”
Golden State, represented on the board by Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, was tucked away in a distant corner rather than listed among the contenders with double the number of reasons for James to land there. “Think what you want,” Paul said. “This is just my board.”
When it comes to the future of James, who turns 42 in December, Paul also teased another tidbit. “Who says this is going to be his last year?” Paul said. Multiple moves were reported by ESPN on Friday with the Lakers trading Deandre Ayton to Washington for Jaden Hardy and two future second-round NBA Draft picks. Hardy signed an $8.1 million player option for next season last week, but the Lakers obtained Walker Kessler from Utah in a four-year sign-and-trade deal worth $130 million to fill their needs at center.
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