As the King enters free agency for a historic 24th season, heavyweights like Golden State and Cleveland lead the pursuit for a final championship run.
DALLAS - There are reportedly "a dozen teams'' prepared to bid on LeBron James now that he's informed the Los Angeles Lakers that, yes, he will play a 24th NBA season in 2026-27 ...
But it won't be with them.
So, at least "a dozen teams''' fan bases are wondering ... will it be with us?
James is ending an eight-year tenure with the Lakers, and we have a feeling that he didn't make this decision without having a fairly firm grasp on his next option.
And yeah, that would quite likely be the Golden State Warriors, who are planning to begin their official chase of him as NBA free agency opens tonight.
But what about the other teams? And the odds?
And what about the Dallas Mavs, who have flirted with this idea over the course of literally decades?
The oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag set them this way ...
Golden State Warriors 1/10 (-1000)
Cleveland Cavaliers 2/1
Boston Celtics 8/1
San Antonio Spurs 10/1
Miami Heat 12/1
Denver Nuggets 14/1
Minnesota Timberwolves 16/1
Detroit Pistons 18/1
New York Knicks 20/1
Philadelphia 76ers 22/1
Los Angeles Clippers 25/1
Indiana Pacers33/1
Dallas Mavericks 40/1
Portland Trail Blazers 40/1
Brooklyn Nets 50/1
Orlando Magic 50/1
Houston Rockets 66/1
Washington Wizards 66/1
Chicago Bulls 75/1
Sacramento Kings 75/1
Utah Jazz 75/1
Atlanta Hawks 80/1
Charlotte Hornets 80/1
Oklahoma City Thunder 80/1
Toronto Raptors 80/1
Memphis Grizzlies 100/1
Milwaukee Bucks 100/1
You can count yourself to see that Dallas doesn't quite make the top 12 here.
What's James, at age 41, looking for? With all due respect to Dallas and the presence of rookie sensation Cooper Flagg, LeBron has every reason to be chasing a championship.
Look back at those odds and you see some level of pedigree that the Mavs do not presently possess.
Steph Curry's Warriors with LeBron? James returning to Cleveland or Miami? Boston and San Antonio earning mention?
We get it.
It is worth noting that James earned All-Star honors again last season. ... meaning he's still got plenty of what it takes from when he was a four-time champion and a four-time MVP.
From what stage does he want to say his final goodbye? From the championship stage, of course.
