When the Celtics moved quickly to use their full mid-level exception on Mitchell Robinson, it appeared that most of their free agency work was settled, making an already unlikely play at LeBron James seem impossible. And perhaps, it still is, but according to LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, on his Game Over Podcast with Max Kellerman, the Celtics are in the mix to sign the future Hall-of-Famer.
Paul unveiled a whiteboard with 10 teams that are in contention for the services of James, the 41-year-old free agent. The head of Klutch Sports also confirmed that 27 teams have reached out with some level of interest and reiterated that money is not part of the equation; James wants the best situation for happiness and winning.
Rich Paul’s whiteboard session for LeBron’s next team, summarized:
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) July 3, 2026
- Cores of Sixers, Heat, Wolves, Nuggets, Cavs prominently featured
- Warriors, Mavs, Celtics, Spurs, Knicks secondary
- Mavs mostly listed for non-basketball reasons
- Cavs Assistant GM Brandon Weems a "big X… pic.twitter.com/xXqKodITmA
And Boston is at least being considered. The board featured five teams on the inside that appear to be the prime contenders for James: his old teams, the Cavaliers and Heat, two Western Conference dark horses in the Nuggets and Timberwolves, and the new-look 76ers with Jaylen Brown.
Then on the outer circle of Paul’s whiteboard, he listed five other teams that are in the mix: the Spurs, Knicks, Warriors, Mavericks, and the Boston Celtics. The team wasn’t directly named on the board, with it simply saying, “Brad + Tatum”, but the point was clear: James is at least somewhat compelled by the idea of joining up with Jayson Tatum, and believes in Brad Stevens to build a winning team.
Hate him or love him, LeBron would be amazing signing for Boston
It’s smart for the Celtics to reach out and equally smart for LeBron to consider. Despite losing Jaylen Brown, the team should still be very good, especially in the regular season, where James can manage his body and save up for the playoffs, where he can still make a huge impact, even at his advanced age.
He’d be a natural connector in the offense with great passing and playmaking, and he can still get to his spots, pressure the rim, get to the line, and ramp up the defense when needed. His basketball IQ is among the best we’ve ever seen, and he would likely embrace the Mazzulla-Ball system and fit in immediately with a true prime superstar in Tatum leading the way.
Again, Boston was on the board as an outside circle contender in this sweepstakes, and Paul and Kellerman basically glossed right over them in the podcast discussion, but at least they are on the board. It would be absurdly strange and almost wrong to see LeBron in a Celtics uniform, and fans may struggle to compartmentalize 20+ years of deep sports-hatred for the longtime Boston rival.
But if the two sides can put their differences aside, James sees the vision in Boston and believes he can help win a championship with the Celtics, and he’s willing to come aboard on a vet minimum contract, even at age 41, this would be one of the more valuable free agency signings in league history, and could shift the balance of power in a suddenly loaded Eastern Conference.
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