The King is making us wait.
Nearly a month since NBA free agency got rolling, LeBron James is still sitting on the open market as an unrestricted free agent and contemplating where he will spend the final chapter of his illustrious career.
Rumours have been swirling about whether he will join a top East contender, return home to Cleveland or create a new super team in the Bay Area.
Here is everything we know about his free agency so far:
Hoping to join a former teammate
Most of James’ best moments in the NBA have come with a running mate. During his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, that was Kyrie Irving, and for most of his Los Angeles Lakers run, it was Anthony Davis.
James is now reportedly slow-playing his free-agent decision in hopes of a suitor trading for Irving or Davis, despite neither being available for a trade, sources told NBA insider Kevin O’Connor.
It was alongside Irving in 2016 that the Cavaliers erased a 3-1 series deficit against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, earning Cleveland its first and only championship.
The duo suited up in 235 overall games together and boasts a 171-64 record. They played three seasons together from 2014-17 and went to the finals every year. Their run ended when Irving requested a trade and ended up on the Boston Celtics with hopes of stepping out of James’ shadow.
James and Davis spent parts of six seasons together on the Lakers from 2019-25. Together, they led L.A. to four playoff appearances and took home the 2020 championship in the bubble.
Even with that title, they didn’t have the utmost success alongside one another. They made it past the first round just twice and even missed the post-season in 2021-22. Their record together was 184-112, and they cycled through three coaches.
Nobody expected the duo to part ways until the shocking Davis-for-Luka Doncic swap in February 2025. The trade sent shock waves through both franchises, but Davis never found his footing in Dallas due to injuries. He appeared in just 29 games in Texas before being shipped to the Washington Wizards.
Heat had everyone confused
For a very brief moment on Tuesday night, it appeared James’ free agency had come to a close, and he would be returning to the Miami Heat, where he had the utmost success. However, that is not the case, at least not yet anyway.
The Heat posted a YouTube live stream titled “LeBron James Introductory Press Conference,” scheduled for Monday, July 27. It seemed that Miami knew something nobody else did — not even James himself.
We now know that the live stream was posted by mistake by the Heat’s social team, and it was only prepared in case James eventually chose Miami.
James spent 2010-14 with the Heat and won two MVPs, two championships and two Finals MVPs during that stretch. He also advanced to the finals in all four seasons, and the Heat had a 224-88 record during his run in South Beach.
Not in a hurry
James has a handful of contenders pursuing his talents, but he’s not feeling any pressure to jump to a decision.
“We're not going to be rushed," James’ agent Rich Paul said on his podcast Game Over. "We're not going to be rushed. It's his choice to make, and when he makes the choice, he'll make it."
Despite not being in a rush, James does not need to hear any more from teams. Any franchise that wants the 41-year-old has made their message clear, and he is just deciding on his best fit at this point.
“There's been several people to call and say, 'Hey, Rich, is there anything more we should be doing? We could be doing?'" Paul said. "And my answer is, 'No. We don't need you to go above and beyond about anything. We understand it. It's clear. All the messages have been sent.'"
James has been on the open market for just over three weeks now; in comparison, in 2010 he was available just seven days, and in 2018 less than 24 hours.
Feeling some brotherly love
James hasn’t said much this off-season, but he did make a few public appearances last week at Fanatics Fest. His final appearance was a live edition of his talk show “The Shop.”
The four-time MVP chose not to give too much information about his next destination, but he did give Philadelphia 76ers fans a glimmer of hope.
“Most important is I want to compete," James said of his free agency. "I want to compete at a high level. I want to join a franchise that kind of shares the same motto as myself, and that's practising championship habits every day, but trusting the process more than anything ..."
“Trust the process,” a statement that goes hand-in-hand with the 76ers. It was the mantra of former Sixers president and general manager Sam Hinkie as he guided Philadelphia through a rebuild. It also became synonymous with Sixers star centre Joel Embiid, to the point that it's become his nickname.
Despite the clear connection, James was quick to decline any connection between himself and Philadelphia.
“I've been saying 'trust the process' since I was drafted in, like, 2003," James said. "I don't know if Embiid was even born yet."
James prefers Eastern contenders
James joining Stephen Curry on the Golden State Warriors feels like a dream, and that’s all it ever may be.
The Warriors appear to be looking at one final run to a title with Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr, so James would be the perfect fit to complement this team. Green opted out of his contract to give Golden State the flexibility to acquire James, and is likely to take a cheaper deal later in the off-season.
However, even with all these efforts, it doesn’t seem that James is all that interested in a move to Golden State.
The Warriors are behind Miami, Cleveland and Philadelphia in the race for James, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.
“The Warriors would need a little work still,” Charania said. “The big thing with the Warriors was packaging LeBron James with another star player…. There’s been no real traction on the Warriors and (Anthony Davis)… They are, to my knowledge, behind other teams such as Miami, Cleveland, Philadelphia.”
The Warriors haven’t done much this off-season to really improve their roster, but the same cannot be said for those Eastern Conference teams.
The Heat brought in Giannis Antetokounmpo, arguably a top three player in the NBA today. Philly acquired Jaylen Brown after a dominant season with the Celtics, and the Cavaliers have locked up Donovan Mitchell long-term.
Golden State has missed the playoffs in two of the last three seasons, so without improvements, becoming a contender doesn’t feel likely with just the addition of a 41-year-old James.
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