Regardless of those grand plans, the Dubs check a lot of boxes based on what we think LeBron will value. They are a short private jet flight away from James’s home base of Los Angeles and employ one of the few superstars who can claim to be on his tier of excellence and notoriety (as well as his buddy Draymond). The issues inherent in building a contending team around two aging stars is obvious but Golden State has the talent to be a playoff contender as it stands, much less after adding LeBron.

Finding the money for him might be tricky at this point with the Warriors’ reported reluctance to trade Jimmy Butler and the $40 million handed to Kristaps Porziņģis. But you can see the vision. This would be the most fun LeBron option if the 2024 Olympics were any indication.

Miami Heat

LeBron returning to the Heat was dismissed as a possibility last month given Miami’s place as a play-in team in the East without much recourse to getting better. Now? Things have changed. Obviously. The Heat went out and landed a top-five player in Giannis Antetokounmpo to pair with Bam Adebayo, creating a dominant defensive frontcourt that should absolutely contend for the conference crown. There is always an appeal for veteran players to join loaded teams. LeBron isn’t ring-chasing like those types of players usually are but signing up to play for the NBA’s newest superteam in South Beach has plenty of appeal.

From a roster construction standpoint it’s not a very clean fit. James is not getting better as a shooter as he gets older and the spacing is already going to be tight with Bam and Giannis sharing the floor. What’s more, the Heat have very little money to throw around to convince James a reunion would be worthwhile. But from a talent standpoint few teams could boast the same level and a Finals trip seems very possible. If James is looking for a ready-made, star-studded roster to join, Miami should be in the running.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Of course, there would be no greater story than LeBron coming home one last time.

It has already been reported the Cavaliers are interested in a third partnership with James. They make sense from a contending standpoint as an Eastern Conference finalist. And the franchise would move heaven and earth to ensure James was paid what he wants to be paid if he did indicate a desire to come back to Ohio. The narrative would be delicious.

The on-court fit is great, too. Cleveland would probably have to move on from one of its core players in order to land James but no matter who that is, he’d be a huge addition as a dynamic wing playmaker. Whoever remains of Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden would benefit enormously from having LeBron out there with them. The Cavs weren’t that far from an NBA Finals berth last season; getting James could give the team enough of a talent boost to get over the hump.

Even if that doesn’t happen, this would be a great story. A perfect end to the greatest career the NBA has ever seen.

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Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.