James could be a real target for the Clippers.
The Los Angeles Clippers went 42-40 this season and got knocked out of the play-in tournament by the Golden State Warriors.
Not exactly how anyone in the building drew it up, especially after the team dug itself out of a brutal 6-21 start just to scratch back to .500.
But with the offseason here and a bunch of cap flexibility to work with, the Clippers are in position to make a real move.
LeBron James should be on their radar.
LeBron's Free Agency Situation
James is hitting unrestricted free agency this summer after wrapping up his record-setting 23rd NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds across 60 games while shooting 51.5 percent from the field, which is pretty absurd production for a 41-year-old.
The Lakers got swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round, and James has been vague about whether he even wants to keep playing.
He made $52.6 million this season, so any new deal is going to look wildly different from that.
The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have both been floated as potential destinations, but neither has clean cap space to throw around.
If James does come back for 2026-27, most people around the league expect a one-year deal somewhere between the veteran minimum and roughly $20 million.
It all depends on how steep of a pay cut he is comfortable taking.
Why the Clippers Should Be Interested
The Clippers still have Kawhi Leonard on the books at $50.3 million heading into the last year of his deal, and they brought in Darius Garland from Cleveland at the trade deadline to run the point going forward.
Leonard averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game on 50.5 percent shooting across 65 games this season, and the front office has a handful of big decisions ahead on where to take this roster next.
Bringing in James on a short, team-friendly deal would slot a third playmaker next to Leonard and Garland without strapping the franchise to long-term salary.
He showed with the Lakers this year that he can take on a reduced role and not fight it, playing behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves without any drama.
The Clippers also landed the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, so mixing a lottery rookie in with James, Leonard and Garland gives them a pretty interesting roster on paper.
The Bottom Line
Nobody is pretending there are zero concerns here.
James turns 42 in December, and counting on his body to hold up for a full season is a roll of the dice at this stage.
The Aspiration salary cap investigation still hovering over the franchise complicates things further, since potential penalties could affect draft picks and future flexibility.
But if the Clippers can land James on a deal that does not limit what they do elsewhere, passing on one of the greatest players in NBA history when they already have two All-Stars feels like a mistake.
They need to at least pick up the phone.