The Philadelphia 76ers won the latest, most drawn out version of the LeBron James sweepstakes. You can read about what that means for the Sixers here. But what about the would-be suitors King James rejected? Here's how those clubs stack up as another LeBron-dominated offseason winds down.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Assuming the Cavaliers re-sign James Harden, who opted out of his $42.3-million player option to help Cleveland chase James, they'll essentially be running back the same core that just advanced to the Eastern Conference finals. And they'll have a full offseason to get Harden acclimated this time around.
But the Cavs rarely looked comfortable during that run to the conference finals, and the top of the East got better this offseason. James represented more than just a storybook ending; he would've addressed Cleveland's glaring need for an impact wing/forward, which the Cavs have lacked since LeBron left town in 2018.
With James now on his way to Philly, the Cavs are still missing that consistent fifth starter to plug between a backcourt featuring Harden and Donovan Mitchell and a frontcourt featuring Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Making matters worse, the player who looked most capable of fulfilling that role a few months ago - Dean Wade - joined another East contender in Philadelphia.
Cleveland is unlikely to find that missing piece at this point in the offseason. In addition, once Harden is re-signed, the team would likely only be able to offer either the taxpayer mid-level exception (worth roughly $6.1 million) or a veteran's minimum contract.
Miami Heat
Even without a James reunion, the Heat still fancy themselves one of the offseason's biggest winners. Such confidence is understandable after acquiring an all-time great in Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, the new-look Heat are far from a finished product or surefire contender.
Antetokounmpo's ability to get downhill and attack the rim will open things up for Miami, and the combined forces of the Greek Freak and big man Bam Adebayo give the team a tremendous defensive floor. But there are significant questions regarding Miami's offense. The Heat, who lost Tyler Herro and Norman Powell (among others) this summer, desperately need more shooting and off-the-dribble creation around their star duo. As team president Pat Riley recently admitted, there's also a glaring playmaking hole on the roster. "Everybody talks about shooting. That's not the main priority right now. It's another playmaker," Riley said.
James, one of the most gifted playmakers in league history, was the ideal candidate to fill that role. Without him, the Heat will struggle to live up to their lofty expectations.
Golden State Warriors
James landing in the Bay would've made the Warriors more of a novelty than a clear contender. Since winning the championship in 2022, Golden State has finished between sixth and 10th in the Western Conference four years in a row. During that time, the club has missed the playoffs twice, including after a 37-45 record last season.
Golden State is an aging team without any blue-chip prospects. Even if the Warriors had landed James, they still would've been reliant on the eventual return of Jimmy Butler, who will be 37 years old by the time he finishes rehabbing a torn ACL. Still, even if contention was a long shot, there would've been something thrilling and poetic about watching James and Steph Curry play out their final years together after the two legends defined a generation of basketball as longtime rivals.
Instead, the once-mighty Warriors will likely continue to fade from relevance, reminding us all that Father Time is undefeated, especially if James isn't on your side to combat him.
The only matter left for Golden State to resolve is a new contract for Draymond Green, the franchise stalwart who opted out of his $27.7-million player option for next season in an effort to help the Warriors land James.
Minnesota Timberwolves
After trading Julius Randle and Naz Reid, the Timberwolves have a clear need for a starting-caliber power forward. James would've been perfect for that role at this stage of his career while providing some secondary scoring and creation beside Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball.
The basketball fit would've been seamless. However, James taking his talents to Minnesota always felt unlikely. With that pipe dream no longer in the cards, the Wolves can turn their attention to the talent they do have at their disposal.
The addition of Ball gives Minnesota one of the league's most talented backcourts, but the 24-year-old comes with major questions pertaining to his consistency, durability, and general seriousness (on and off the court). With Edwards leading the way, Ball by his side, Rudy Gobert anchoring the defense, underrated two-way forward Jaden McDaniels serving as the glue, and reserve scorer Ayo Dosunmu retained, the Timberwolves are, at their ceiling, a contender. But James would've given the team a much clearer and safer floor, acting as a much-needed adult in the room.
Without him, it feels like this team is missing something. As Edwards himself recently admitted, there may be more downs than ups in his first year with Ball.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets always felt like the biggest long shot among the six teams reportedly in the mix for James, but it was fun to dream about the possibilities in pairing two of the greatest - and smartest - players in basketball history.
James and Nikola Jokic together would've made for some breathtaking ball. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. So, what now for the Nuggets, who've fallen a rung or two since winning the title in 2023?
The team's No. 1 offseason priority should be retaining restricted free agent Peyton Watson. However, with the Clippers reported to be the team most interested in poaching him, and L.A.'s offseason stuck in limbo while everyone awaits a resolution to the Kawhi Leonard saga, Watson's future remains cloudy. Is there a contract figure Denver can reach that would both satisfy Watson's desires and represent fair value for the Nuggets? If the answer is yes, they should resolve the matter immediately. If he holds out for an outrageous number or for the Clippers, Denver is stuck.
In the meantime, the Nuggets could look to dump Christian Braun in an effort to create more financial flexibility, but every potential trade partner knows why Denver would be offering such a deal. Braun's coming off a down year and an even worse postseason just as he's about to start a five-year contract that will pay him between $21.6 million and $28.4 million per year. The Nuggets would likely have to attach draft capital in any outgoing Braun package, but the team can't trade any first-rounders outright. Denver can offer first-round swap rights in 2028, 2030, 2031, and 2033, but mortgaging a portion of its future to shed salary rather than improve the roster is risky, especially given Jokic has only a year of team control remaining on his contract.
No one expects Jokic to leave Denver, but the Nuggets are in a precarious position. Landing James, however unlikely it may have been, would've provided a much-needed jolt of optimism.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have been out of the mix for nearly a month, but they were technically the first team James rejected this summer.
In his wake, the Lakers sought to build a more optimal supporting cast for Luka Doncic. Whether they've done that remains to be seen. Los Angeles retained a productive and efficient secondary scorer in Austin Reaves, finally found a long-term solution at center in Walker Kessler, and added depth pieces such as Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Matisse Thybulle, Kevon Looney, and Ziaire Williams.
The new-look Lakers have a chance to boast the league's best offense. Unfortunately, they also have disastrous potential on the other end, where too much will be asked of Kessler (and Thybulle, to a lesser degree) to bail out the team's defense.
Some Lakers fans may feel a sense of relief that their own James saga is over. On some level, that's understandable. But is the club really better off without him? Los Angeles looks like an incomplete, one-way team as presently constructed, and it doesn't have the means to change that. The Lakers control just one first-rounder (in 2032) over the next seven years and project to have limited flexibility over the life of Doncic's current contract, which could expire as early as 2028.
Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead NBA reporter.
