Could the Denver Nuggets add LeBron James?
The Denver Nuggets have yet to get involved in the free agent craziness, though it seems to be a calm before the storm.
Denver is expected to make a move or two in the offseason, starting with re-signing Peyton Watson, who is currently a restricted free agent. Signing Watson to an extension that could be worth up to $30 million per season will facilitate the other moves that need to be made as Denver avoids the second apron.
How big of a move Denver makes remains to be seen as they look to keep pace in the Western Conference in hopes of returning to at least the Western Conference Finals.
Is LeBron James An Option?
LeBron James is officially an unrestricted free agent, and he has already informed the Los Angeles Lakers of his decision to move on from the team.
LeBron wants to play meaningful and competitive basketball, and money is reportedly not a factor in his decision.
According to the Denver Post, the Nuggets have reached out and expressed interest in signing LeBron.
If he were to join, it would have to be on a veteran's minimum deal or the taxpayer's mid-level exception, which is $6 million, unless Denver moves enough money around in trading Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun, and potentially others.
Of course, if LeBron truly wants to play competitive basketball and money is not a factor, Denver makes as much sense as any team in the league.
Would It Work?
There aren't many "supercomputers" in the NBA, but LeBron and Nikola Jokic are two of them. They read the game better than any two players in the league, and though LeBron has played next to Luka Doncic, Jokic is a different kind of playmaker who runs more out of the post and is willing to operate in the pick-and-roll as a screener.
Add Jamal Murray to the mix, who is willing to screen a bit as we've seen with Jokic, or can create off the catch, and the Denver offense could operate at a level we've never seen before...after already operating at the highest level in the league the past few seasons.
LeBron would have to be willing to play more off-ball, but he took a backseat in Los Angeles to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves late in the season, and he'd be operating in different spaces with Jokic's playmaking compared to Luka's.
Denver is already a competitive team, but is looking to get back over the hump. There are few players in the league who could help them do just that more than LeBron James.
