The New York Knicks need a backup center, but LeBron James' free agency rightfully has the NBA world's interest. They should be included in that bunch, given James was just the best player on a Los Angeles Lakers squad that won a playoff series.
Klutch Sports founder and CEO Rich Paul is bringing fans directly inside 2026's version of "The Decision," wheeling a whiteboard onto the "Game Over" podcast with Max Kellerman on which the two mapped out James' options. The commentator joined him in running through the pros and cons of each destination.
Paul said the process would have been simple had the Knicks not won the 2026 NBA Championship: James would have signed there without question. He mentioned that James now had to defer to New York's 1A superstar: Jalen Brunson. And he ultimately, whether intentionally or not, framed James' true underlying interest as being the guy to end the Knicks' championship drought.
If that was the case, why didn't he join them in 2010, when he Decided on the Miami Heat? Or in 2014, when he went home? Or in 2018, when he took his talents to Hollywood? Or last offseason, when he chose to opt into his player option with the Lakers?
It doesn't add up.
Did James want to end the drought and claim Knicks' glory for himself?
The downside of failing to help the Knicks win in 2027 would have been joining the 53 other teams that couldn't, either. Helping them become the NBA's first repeat champion in nine years, at the risk of being blamed entirely for their failure to defend their title, would be the best play for James' legacy. It seems the superstar won't be recognizing it as such.
“If the Knicks hadn’t have won, this wouldn’t even – there would be no board. He’d be going to the Knicks,” the super-agent explained to Kellerman. Paul's comments weren't exactly surprising, with this scribe having reported in February that James briefly considered the Knicks as a 2025 offseason landing spot.
Remember all that reporting last year about Leon Rose & Rich Paul working to smooth things over?
— Kris Pursiainen (@krispursiainen) February 25, 2026
That was because LeBron briefly considered the Knicks this past summer. It was a blip - NOT worth reporting on/chasing the story - because nothing was going to happen.
But Cavs too. https://t.co/en9nbhbENH
Now that they're the reigning NBA Champions, it seems the all-time great's interest has dwindled. If ending the drought was the goal, did James think the Knicks would still not have won by the end of his career?
Paul's comments all make sense, but raise a key question. What exactly was LeBron waiting for? Was his goal to win as many championships as possible, with as many other franchises besides the Knicks, before finally meeting them at the altar just as both families were set to go home?
James' willingness to take a veteran's minimum salary and help a team compete for an NBA Championship to close out his career is on-brand for The Chosen One. James has always impressed with his ability to set others up for success in big moments.
The Knicks, though, found success on their own. James, unable to conclude his career with a directorial credit in a cinematic Big Apple title run, no longer wants anything to do with New York's talented cast and crew.
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