LeBron James Next Team Odds: The Best Fits for the Aged “King”

LeBron James is the aging “King”. While he’s still among the best, he is not the same unstoppable force. As such, James needs to ditch the toxic Laker basketball culture and settle in a more low-key franchise. The ideal fit is a rising power where he can have a role as a leader. Using LeBron James’s next team odds, his best fit is a familiar territory.

Return of the King: James Back in “The Land”?

They say the best things come in trilogies. So why not a third saga in Cleveland? It’s not too far fetched judging by the 6-1 line on LeBron James’ next team odds.

Cleveland has an even better roster than it did when James led the franchise to four straight NBA Finals. The team has a trio of All-Stars, a rising star in Evan Mobley, and the top defense in the league. The Cavaliers won 51 games this past season and frequently blew teams out on the NBA scores.

But the Cavaliers fell short in the playoffs and this is something James can help in. James will be a respected locker room presence and one who can also help facilitate the offense. Best of all, Cleveland has enough prospects to trade for James without compromising its core.

The best case scenario is for this team to win an NBA title within the two remaining years in James’s contract.

Swapping Colors: Clippers Calling?

It feels unthinkable for James to leave the Lakers but stay in Los Angeles by joining the Clippers. The “other” L.A. team is listed at 10-1 on LeBron James’ next team odds so this requires some suspension of disbelief.

But if you think about it, James feels one critical need of the team: A primary ball handler. The Clippers need a distributor to compliment their two elite scorers in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The team is rumored to be in the mix for Chris Paul. But if this falls through, James could be their next best option.

Playing James, Leonard, and Leonard at the same time could be tricky as they are all natural small forwards. But Tyronn Lue, an old coach of James, is one of the best at managing his players and making adjustments.

And unlike the Lakers, the Clipper culture is a lot less stressful. James can stay in his preferred city while playing for the NBA’s richest and coolest owner in Steve Ballmer. He’s also always willing to do whatever it takes to win.

Thus, this move may not be as crazy as it sounds on paper.

Warriors and a King: A Golden Union?

Enemies turning into allies is a classic device in literature. And the time is now for James to join his old adversaries in Golden State. They are both aging and not quite as powerful as they used to be. James is turning 39 at the end of the year and the Warriors have been bad on the road and the NBA spreads.

For this to work, the Warriors may need to let several of their core members go. Either Klay Thompson or Jordan Poole needs to be traded and Draymond Green may not be re-signed. In that case, it will be mostly Steph Curry and James with either Thompson or Poole doing most of the work.

It’s not the best situation but it can still work. Curry and James will form a nigh-unstoppable tandem on offense. James will replace the playmaking Green contributes. The defense is what could suffer if Green leaves. But can Golden State make it work with both James and Green?

The two have domineering alpha male personalities and are both facilitators on offense. They will butt heads and push Golden State off the rails unless both “tone it down.” Still, as far as making NBA news, a James-to-Golden State union is unbeatable.

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