As "The King" exits Hollywood to hunt for a fifth ring, oddsmakers place San Antonio among the top landing spots for a legendary partnership with Victor Wembanyama.
The oddsmakers seem to like the chances of Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs returning to the NBA Finals a year from now.
They are the favorites to do so.
One great way to increase those odds?
Add LeBron James to the roster.
There are are supposedly "a dozen teams'' ready to bid on James now that he's informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he is leaving Hollywood to pursue his fifth NBA title elsewhere.
The Golden State Warriors - back to those oddsmakers - seem to be the strong favorite here, at 1/10.
The other top contenders for the services of "The King''
The Cleveland Cavaliers, where he's go "home,'' at 2/1.
The perennially good Boston Celtics at 8/1.
And ...
Your Spurs, No. 4 in the oddsmakers' thinking at 10/1.
James is ending his eight-year stint with the Lakers, and frankly, we doubt the stories that insist he's just now thinking of his next destination.
We prefer to believe that he has a plan.
And yeah, that would point to being the Golden State Warriors, who were openly planning to begin their official chase of him as NBA free agency opened last night.
But what about the other teams? And the odds?
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 the Spurs merit mention.
The Spurs can solidly make the argument that they are on the fastest track to greatness of any NBA team and that LeBron is the classic "final piece'' to a title puzzle.
And James, at age 41, is surely looking for exactly that.
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? We get it; that's an enthralling idea.
But LeBron and Wemby? The mind boggles ...
It is worth noting - especially to his detractors - that James is one of the handful of greatest NBA players of all time, and that he earned All-Star honors again last season.
He is a four-time MVP; he doesn't have to do that again in San Antonio.
He is a four-time champion; he could very well do that again in San Antonio.
