Stephen A. Smith had a strong argument for LeBron to head to Madison Square Garden.
There are lot of questions swirling around LeBron James and the future of his career at this point now that the Lakers' season is done.
James is a free agent, but he's also 41 years old and just finished his NBA-record 23rd season. The big questions now are if James will return to the Lakers and try to run it back for one more championship in Los Angeles, if he'll go elsewhere, with a number of teams listed as potential landing spots, or if he'll retire altogether.
He hasn't made any definitive statements on his future at this point and as a result, speculation on what James' future will look like is going to be something that will dominate the airwaves until the future is known.
Stephen A. Smith has already started the speculation. On his Sirius XM show, Smith laid out a number of possible futures that he could see for James.
Least likely in Smith's mind is that James will retire. As James proved by taking over for the Lakers in the playoffs, he still has gas left in the tank to be a main contributor on any team.
Where Could James Land?
With that possibility dismissed, Smith posited several teams that James could go to, including the Lakers, a reunion with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the idea of him linking up with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
But, Smith's top option for James was a trip across the country to join the New York Knicks, who just reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the second season in a row.
"He gonna be with the Knicks. That’s the brand that will easily enable LeBron to pocket an additional half a billion dollars," Smith said (via NBA_Courtside). "And then you got LeBron with Brunson, with OG, with Karl-Anthony Towns."
Smith acknowledged that, as a native New Yorker, his idea of James going to the Knicks was coming form an emotional place, but he also backed up his argument several ways.
What Do the Knicks Have to Offer?
First, is the talent factor. The Knicks look like they have the best chance out of any team left in the Eastern Conference to make the NBA Finals and could even take the league's crown altogether. Adding James to the Knicks roster would be yet another boost and now that James has shown he can be a third option, he could fit right in.
On top of that is the financial factor. Smith ardently believes that James could take his brand to a completely new level if associated with the Knicks and under the operation of businessman James Dolan, who oversees the operation of the Knicks and New York Rangers.
Combining the kind of passion that both fans of James and fans of the Knicks have would also be a recipe for jersey sales and sold-out arenas, so Smith could be on to something with his idea.