Why Nuggets Have a Real Chance of Signing LeBron James
Why Nuggets Have a Real Chance of Signing LeBron James
The Denver Nuggets are actually a realistic suitor for the legendary LeBron James.Logan Struck|
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Denver NuggetsFuture Hall of Fame forward LeBron James is officially moving on from the Los Angeles Lakers, and now the talk around the league is which team will land the 41-year-old superstar for his potential farewell tour. While there are a handful of obvious candidates, like the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Miami Heat, could the Denver Nuggets get involved?
Here are a few reasons why the Nuggets might have a legitimate shot at signing James in free agency:
Flexible negotiations
Immediately, it seems like the Nuggets would be taken out of contention because of their financial situation of only being able to offer free agents a veteran minimum contract right now. However, this might not be as big a problem as expected.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, James is open to any contract offer this offseason, as his next decision will not be financially based, but more so a desire to compete for a championship and be happy. In fact, he could even be willing to accept a minimum contract.
LeBron James is open to all pitches if a team can contend for a championship, per @ShamsCharania
“If you want to slot him in, you can pitch him on a minimum deal, an exception deal, or a non-max deal.” 👀 pic.twitter.com/Xy9mcD9p8s— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 1, 2026
Obviously, the Nuggets do not have the money to offer James a large contract, barring a huge money-saving trade, but they can practically guarantee that he would be competing for a championship in Denver.
After 23 years' worth of NBA money, on top of a world of endorsement deals, it is no surprise that James is not hunting another max contract. The four-time champion likely wants to play meaningful basketball while he still can, and the Nuggets have been one of just two teams in the NBA (Boston Celtics) to win 50+ games in each of the past four seasons, with a 2023 championship to show for it.
The smartest duo in NBA history?
Of course, there are a handful of teams that feel they could compete for a championship with James on the roster, but not many other teams have a three-time MVP on their roster, especially one the legendary forward has openly praised several times.
James has shown plenty of love for Nikola Jokic over the years, saying "there has not been a more dominant, complete player" he has ever played against in November 2025. Jokic has shown similar love for James, saying how everyone should "admire" how dominant he still is at this age.
Jokic and James are largely regarded as two of the smartest NBA players ever. On paper, these two teaming up would be unfair for opponents, although we would have to wait to see how it actually works out on the court. Still, James has to at least think about coming to Denver to play alongside the three-time MVP center.
His connection with Nuggets ownership
James has a long-standing relationship with Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke, as they have commonly been seen taking trips together in the offseason. In fact, James admitted that Kroenke attempted to recruit him to Denver back in 2018.
"Well, the owner of the team is a very dear friend of mine. So he discussed it a couple times to me. He sent me the throwback (rainbow skyline jersey). He said, 'You'll look good in one of these.' ... We've been on vacation and things of that nature, we have a great friendship," James said in 2018 (h/t Harrison Wind).
Of course, we should not read too much into this friendship, as even though it is great to have that connection, James' final decision will likely not be based on that. Still, though, it feels noteworthy that the Nuggets have tried to get him in the past, and that strong connection could come back to help them nearly a decade later.
Nuggets should "kick the tires"
Regardless, on the surface, it feels like the Nuggets are a long shot to sign James. It is much easier to envision him staying in California to sign with the Warriors or returning to Cleveland for a homecoming, but the Nuggets seem to have a legitimate shot.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently brought up the Nuggets as a potential suitor for James on The Hoop Collective podcast.
"I have long believed that if there was an outlier team for LeBron, if he was willing to take some exception, was Denver," Windhorst said. "If you notice, during the year this year, he was overly effusive with Jokic. ... I'll just point out that he has a relationship with Josh Kroenke. ... He has some connection there. If I were Denver, I would kick the tires."
“If I were Denver, I’d kick the tires”@WindhorstESPN makes the case for LeBron James and the Nuggets pic.twitter.com/zp0eCHHcEo
— Adam Mares (@Adam_Mares) July 1, 2026
In short, the Nuggets have a chance of signing James. Sure, they will have some competition and a limited amount of money they can offer, but there are multiple reasons why the argued GOAT could actually come to Denver.
Building a potential core of Jokic, James, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon is a recipe for a championship contender, especially with the right pieces around them. While it might still be unlikely, it is at least worth monitoring.
Published 22 minutes ago
LOGAN STRUCKLogan Struck is a writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's On SI since 2023
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Sydney Sweeney Struts in Micro Shorts in New 4th of July American Eagle Campaign After Controversy
Sydney Sweeney is back and better than ever in a new American Eagle ad.
Sweeney, 28, stunned in an all-denim look while posing on the beach for a 4th of July campaign, which launched on Wednesday, July 1. The Euphoria star rocked a denim Bow-Front Vest, which retails for $54.95, featuring adjustable halter straps, a plunging neckline and straps that tie in the front.
Sweeney paired the look with low-rise Micro Shorts ($49.95), which were complete with a dark wash and distressed finish.
For glam, the Anyone But You star stunned with dewy skin, sun-kissed cheeks, long lashes and lined, pink lips. Her blonde bob was parted down the middle and styled in beachy waves.
In one pic, the It Girl closed her eyes and beamed for the camera while sitting in the sand. She also looked over her shoulder in another pic, with her hands in the back pockets of her cheeky bottoms.
Sweeney also looked her best in a promotional video. In the clip, she danced on the beach while lighting sparklers. “Syd for Short,” a message across the screen read.
This isn’t the first time Sweeney has posed for American Eagle. In July 2025, she went under fire for modeling a denim jacket and pants with the double entendre, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”
The statement quickly sparked debate about race and beauty standards for the double play on “genes.”
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Related: Sydney Sweeney Stuns in 2nd American Eagle Campaign Following Controversy
Sydney Sweeney has teamed up with American Eagle again for a sexy summer campaign following her previously controversial ad with the company. Sweeney, 28, posed for the brand’s “Syd for Short: American Eagle Jean Shorts” ad, which launched on Wednesday, April 15. In the campaign, the Euphoria actress looked her best in a pair of […]American Eagle responded to the backlash in August 2025, writing via Instagram, “‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
At the time, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that “Sydney thinks this whole thing has been blown out of proportion.”
The insider added, “She’s focusing her energy on work, including being back on set with her Euphoria family.” (The Euphoria season 3 finale aired on May 31.)
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Sydney Sweeney
Trump's Annual Earnings Skyrocketed to $2.2 Billion in 2025 ... for Some Reason
July 1, 2026
Making money is hard. Just ask Donald Trump. Back in 2022, House Democrats released years of the then-former and now-current president’s tax returns, which showed that Trump the entrepreneur was significantly less successful than The Art of the Deal would have you believe. They painted a picture of a floundering businessman who was doing his best to dodge taxes and scrape together income, something Trump mastered throughout his long career.
But now, it appears that Trump has finally found an industry that works: open corruption, crypto scams, and nepotistic crony capitalism that siphons off wealth, rakes in gifts, and feeds them into his personal coffers. He just needed to become president of the United States.
Trump revealed in financial disclosures this week that he has made $2.2 billion in 2025, up from $622 million in 2024, the year before he returned to the White House. The astronomical sum includes a diverse portfolio of investments and businesses, but is mostly comprised of one brazen cryptocurrency scam: World Liberty Financial, a crypto company that offers the $TRUMP memecoin. Trump made a staggering $1.4 billion on crypto last year, fueled both by getting his supporters to buy into $TRUMP and a massive private deal in which a UAE-linked investment firm paid almost $500 million for a 49 percent stake in World Liberty Financial.
But let’s break down what that means in simple terms. One: Trump sells a memecoin to his followers, using his personal social media channels to boost it. This is basically the same scam Trump has been running for years. If you’ve been on his mailing lists since 2016, you’ve been inundated with ads for physical Trump coins, digital trading cards, and all sorts of commemorative and allegedly collectible memorabilia. Crypto is essentially the same grift, with the added flavor that Trump can pass it off as an “investment” opportunity, something that may pay dividends for the everyday Americans who are duped into buying it. Trump has also taken a host of actions benefiting the crypto industry — and thus, his and his family’s finances — since retaking office, while touting the industry publicly.
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Trump claims that he isn’t “involved” in the running of these businesses, which is about as flimsy of an excuse as you can get. “We have funds that run that money,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
Q: Your financial disclosure shows you had a very lucrative year last year. What message does this send to average Americans?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 1, 2026
TRUMP: Well, you know, I don't get involved. We have funds that run my money
Q: But you are benefitting. We're talking billions of dollars
TRUMP: Well… pic.twitter.com/y0CVPXc4NB
In reality, Trump and his family are the only ones getting rich. But it’s the other half of that windfall that’s even more concerning. While garden-variety crypto-grift is bad, the dark money investment in a Trump-owned company by a firm that is linked to the government of the UAE suggests that foreign influence could be playing a large role in the growth of Trump’s personal fortune. In other words, he’s basically getting a payout from the government of another nation.
This isn’t the first time Trump has engaged in open corruption with members of a foreign nation. His comments about his financial disclosure on Wednesday came on the tarmac in front of his new private plane, also known as Air Force One, which was paid for and gifted to him by the Qatari government, and retrofitted with hundreds of millions of taxpayer money.
“You want a Pulitzer Prize? A picture of the plane.” Trump joked.
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Trump took his first flight on the Qatari-gifted jet shortly after. “Frankly, we couldn’t build a plane like this because we wouldn’t be willing to spend the kind of money necessary,” Trump said. “They spent top dollars.”
The plane is valued at roughly $400 million. The government will not retain ownership of the plan after Trump leaves office. It will instead be gifted to his presidential library.
