LeBron James just promised he'll never miss the playoffs once again, but with the Los Angeles Lakers' future looking murky, it might be difficult for him to do that with the Purple and Gold.
Considering the current Lakers roster and the difficulties they are expected to face in rebuilding their roster, a quick turnaround isn't guaranteed. LeBron is also already turning 38 and Anthony Davis remains injury-prone, which don't bode well for LA's playoff chances next season.
https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1517661979057426433
With that said, should LeBron consider joining a different team to live up to his promise? He didn't say in his tweet that he'll never miss the playoffs with the Lakers again, so we are free to interpret that he's willing to do it with other teams.
With that said, we take a look at the three teams LeBron can join to ensure he'll always be in playoff contention. Regardless of how he does it, these teams certainly give him the best chance of competing at the highest level for the next couple of years.
LeBron James Teams
Jayson Tatum has established himself as a true superstar in the league, and with the way the Boston Celtics are trending, they'll be a powerhouse team in the East for the years to come.
Joining a young crew will lessen the burden on LeBron. Heck, he doesn't even need to do a lot of work with the Celtics with jaylen Brown backing up Tatum.
Now we don't know how this will work contract-wise (same as for the others in this list), but getting LeBron certainly has its benefits to the Celtics as well. After all, they'll get a player with significant playoff and championship experience who can guide them in the playoffs.
Now being just a veteran leader is probably not what LeBron would want for his role, but if he wants to keep himself in the playoffs chase, the Celtics are a solid choice.
Luka Doncic and LeBron James have been often compared since the former arrived in the NBA in 2018. Doncic certainly has shades of LeBron in his game, which is not surprising since he grew up watching the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.
Now imagine the two playing together for the Mavs? That would be a sight to behold–something like a passing of the torch of sorts.
Article Continues BelowLike the Celtics, Doncic and the Mavs figure to be playoff and title contenders for the next decade or so. Luka is just 23 years old and has not even reached his prime yet, but he has Dallas competing for the postseason since his arrival.
James can mentor Luka further as well, which should only benefit the Mavs further.
For LeBron, he doesn't have to be the main guy and do everything with the Mavs. As he showed in 2021-22, he can still score and put up big numbers whenever he wants. Alongside Doncic who can manage the floor, James can simply focus on scoring.
LeBron James has not ruled out a potential return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and what a storybook ending it would be if he were to finish his career with the team where it all started for him.
The Cavs have a roster built to win for many years, with Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley all showing superstar potential.
Cleveland's young core also bodes well for LeBron this late in his career, and he can bring that championship mentality the team is missing after years of mediocrity. While the Cavs failed to make the postseason this 2021-22, they are poised to break out in 2022-23 and beyond.
Even Kevin Love himself is open to the idea of James returning to the Cavs. He even went as far as to saying that Cleveland could even take Bronny James and let the father-son duo play together.
“I don’t want to project what he may or may not want to do, but where our team is trending and how we’re set up to win for a very long time and how much you know, Cleveland and Akron and all of Ohio loves him. It’d be great to get Bronny over here too and then we’ll call it a day,” Love said earlier this April.
Of course all these potential moves for LeBron are just hypothetical. However, it is not impossible since he remains non-committal about his future with the Lakers. And if he's looking for teams that will be playoff regulars, there are really just a few teams that have a high chance to do that.