LeBron James‘ future is entirely up in the air, and not even he knows what comes next after his two-year, $101.3 million contract expires this summer.
At first glance, the Clippers may not seem like a potential destination for LeBron, but the latest intel suggests there is a way they could end up with him before the start of next season. According to ESPN insiders, it all depends on what happens with the NBA’s ongoing cap-circumvention investigation and whether or not Kawhi Leonard is allowed to stay.
“Several team personnel around the league speculated that if the NBA’s investigation into Kawhi Leonard’s Aspiration endorsement deal ended up with Leonard’s contract being voided as a punishment, James could sign with the Clippers for more than the Lakers would offer him.”
At 41 years old, there is no guarantee LeBron will even play again next season, much less for a team that he’s never been with before. As a four-time champion, four-time MVP, and 22x All-Star, he’s got nothing left to prove in the NBA, and he’s got countless records in the books already.
Still, it’s no secret that James wants to be celebrated on his way out, much in the way that Kobe Bryant was during his final season. He also still wants to win, with a chance to add another title to his unmatched resume. Those qualifications narrow the pool for LeBron, but the Clippers are one of the few that can offer everything he wants.
With Darius Garland, Bennedict Mathurin, John Collins, and Bradley Beal, LA has a solid core of players, and they can always tweak their roster to add more firepower. All they would need is a star, and LeBron still qualifies in his 23rd season. With averages of 20.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game on 51.2% shooting and 31.4% shooting from three, he can elevate any team’s floor and raise their ceiling to maximize their talent.
Still, the question remains: how gettable is LeBron for the Clippers? Currently, nobody knows which way the NBA’s investigation is leaning, but the franchise could face massive penalties if found guilty, including fines or the potential voiding of Kawhi Leonard’s contract. Of course, losing Kawhi is the only way they’d have space to outbid the Lakers for James, and it’d add a key financial incentive on top of all the other reasons to join. That’s not to mention the chance for the King to stay in Los Angeles, where Bronny will likely be playing through what’s left of his contract.
At this point, only LeBron knows what he’s thinking, but there are certainly worse choices than the Clippers this summer. If he wants to stay in familiar territory while maintaining his marketability, the Clippers give him the best of both worlds while also putting him in a position to compete for the championship. As a team, the Clippers may not be as lucrative as the Lakers, but joining would make for an interesting ending to LeBron’s career. At the very least, it would be an unexpected twist to his journey with the potential to enhance his already impeccable professional resume.
