At 32 years of age, LeBron James is still the best NBA player in the world. He continually defies Father Time, while posting ground-breaking statistics that boggle the minds of both his peers and the media. Away from the court, however, James has a knack of making league-altering decisions that change the landscape of the NBA.
As gifted as he is, LeBron James is perhaps the most unpredictable superstar in the NBA. In a flash, he left for a journey to the eventual champions in the Miami Heat. Then, he escaped Miami to pursue championship aspirations with his hometown team, The Cleveland Cavaliers.
Now that he fulfilled his promises of capturing that elusive title for Cleveland, where will he head to next? Here are five possible destinations where James could end up when this year is all over.
The Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James has been linked to the Lakers ever since he first entered free agency back in 2010. He has homes, businesses, and personal ties to Los Angeles. He even recently purchased a home in Los Angeles with many sources claiming that he prefers the estate over his home in Cleveland.
This comes as no surprise, especially because Los Angeles has been a top free agent destination because of its prime metropolitan location. However, the main reason why LeBron may actually choose the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018 is because of the outlook of the team. The Lakers have loads of young talent, a skilled coach, and Magic Johnson who is willing to do whatever it takes to bring the Showtime Lakers back to the existence. Also, Paul George just may be coming as well.
The Miami Heat
Hear me out for a few moments, if you will. The Heat, in my mind, is still an important team to LeBron James. He still has his home there, and he regularly visits South Beach every year. However, some may say that LeBron wouldn’t ever return to the Heat because of cap space, Pat Riley, or the Heat’s mediocre situation. These assumptions are accurate, but there is still one motive in play.
LeBron still wants to play with the Banana Boat crew, a.k.a Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul. Although LeBron is technically playing with his best friend in Wade, he expressed that he would take a pay cut to suit up with the rest of his friends. Obviously, Wade is going back to Miami once the season is over, and he just might recruit the rest of the gang with him. Therefore, it’s not entirely impossible for LeBron to return to Miami next year.
The Philadelphia 76ers
With talented drafted players such as Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz, you truly have to trust the process. There are a lot of rumors circling around that the Philadelphia 76ers may be pursuing the 76ers in 2018. Let’s be frank. They will be pursuing James in 2018. No GM in the NBA can say no to LeBron’s talent, so let’s analyze why LeBron would be interested.
To start, LeBron is a smart guy. He obviously doesn’t want to leave the Eastern Conference, mainly because he knows it's his easiest route to the NBA Finals. Next, the Cavaliers clearly don’t have the talent to pursue championships in the near future, especially after the departure of Kyrie Irving. On the contrary, the Sixers have an abundance of talent that will last for years to come.
Lastly, the 76ers have proved that they are one more piece away from championship contention. This all sounds like a completed checklist for LeBron’s upcoming free agency.
All in all, we truly cannot be sure where LeBron James may end up. In fact, he may just stay in Cleveland to finish his career. However, if I am reading the tea leaves correctly, I know that something monumental is going to happen in his upcoming free agency. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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