Once again, LeBron James has tried to hijack the NBA offseason, making the league stand still while he decides where he’ll play next season and likely finish his career. It’s fair to say the Celtics aren’t in the mix for James’ services, but that doesn’t mean his free agency choice won’t impact his rivals in Boston.
LeBron has been battling the Celtics almost since the day he entered the league in 2003 and has spent his whole career on the Cavaliers, Heat, and Lakers, three Boston enemies. James may not be the league’s best player like in previous free agency runs, but he’s still very good and can crank it up to an elite level on occasion.
Depending on his choice, he could quickly vault a team up the contention hierarchy and really change the dynamic of the league for the next couple of seasons. From a Celtics vantage point, that’s at least annoying and at worst, devastating. But some locations would hurt more than others. The five main players appear to be the Cavs, Heat, 76ers, Timberwolves, and Warriors, and here is how they would rank in terms of the pain it would bring me as a Celtics fan and LeBron hater.
1.) Philadelphia 76ers: A Worst-Case Nightmare Scenario
The Sixers are already enough of a hated rival, and having gifted them Jaylen Brown, that’s only going to get worse. The one saving grace is that even with Brown, it’s hard to see them as true contenders. But adding James could change that.
They could suddenly have a starting lineup of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown, James, and Joel Embiid with Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons on the bench. Obviously, a lot would depend on health, but that’s a dangerous squad on paper. The Cs have had to watch many of their enemies flourish over the years; seeing James and Brown bring a championship to Philly would be the worst of all.
2.) Nobody wants to see a new Big 3 in Miami
The Heat “beating” the Celtics in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes really wasn’t that painful, but a big part of that is because the team is still very flawed. But James returning to Miami to play alongside Giannis and Bam would be a major boon and make them a team that demands to be taken seriously.
They’d still have work to do in terms of reaching the highest level, but hearing the Heat applaud themselves all year for lucking into some extravagant master plan would be beyond nauseating.
3.) At least we’ve already seen the Cavaliers movie before
Cleveland, fresh off a conference finals appearance, would appear to be closest to winning, but the LeBron fit could be awkward. It’s hard to imagine him fitting in with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, who both badly need the ball, and would likely be the end of the double-big look with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Still, however you slice it, that’s a lot of talent.
This would be annoying, and they’d be contenders in the East and a thorn in the Celtics’ side, but I guess I’m just numb to the situation. We’ve already seen two stints of LeBron in Cleveland, and after he brought them a title in 2016, they can’t hurt me anymore.
4.) I wouldn’t mind the aging Warriors' last dance story
Yes, seeing LeBron go to the Warriors would be annoying, but overall, pretty harmless. That team is so far from contention right now; even adding James wouldn’t even guarantee them a playoff berth. It would also be kind of pathetic to see him go join Steph Curry’s team that has tormented him for ages.
But the sentimental part of me would enjoy seeing a group of basketball legends joining forces for one final run, led by James and Curry, the two defining players of this generation. They’d be a fun sideshow out West that would bring intrigue to the regular season, but ultimately pose very little harm to the Celtics.
5.) The Timberwolves would just be good, clean fun
If James actually chooses to go to Minnesota, I will have no choice but to respect it. That’s probably the best basketball decision and would make the team with Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert incredibly compelling. I’m still not sure they’d have enough to get past the Thunder or Spurs, but they’d have a real shot.
I have zero animosity towards the Wolves and would actually enjoy watching LeBron try to rein in this young group and help get them over the hump. I also think this is the least likely destination, and I’ll be shocked if he chooses Minnesota, but it’s certainly what I’m rooting for.
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