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Lebron James Free Agency 2026
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00:00It is our pleasure to dive back into the association with Sports Illustrated NBA lead writer Chris
00:05Maddox. Chris, what's up, babe? How we doing today? Man, this has been a hell of an offseason
00:13for the NBA thus far. Great trades actually happening. Juicy rumors flying everywhere.
00:19How's your sleep doing? Are you okay? I'm doing all right. The NBA, they love being a year-round
00:27league. This is one of the dreams, first of David Stern, then of Adam Silver, to be this transactional.
00:34This is all done with intent. They want people talking about the NBA for as much of the calendar
00:40as possible. Pre-agency, which we just saw last week with some of the extensions and now free
00:46agency kicking in today, it's exactly what the NBA wants. It's kind of funny because when you filter
00:53it through that lens, it's like, okay, well, one of the guys that laid the groundwork for this to
00:58become this circus then is back in the circus himself. LeBron, decision 4.0 coming up here
01:04after he informs the Lakers yesterday that he'll be taking his talents elsewhere. They can move on
01:08without him. My question to you is this, and maybe you and the rest of the NBA writers, maybe you've
01:14reached a consensus. You have some insight here. What do you believe is going to motivate this
01:21decision from LeBron James? Is it ring chasing? Is it just wanting to play with his friends? Is it
01:27looking for kind of maybe the return home storybook ending? What do you think is going to be the
01:33parameters that LeBron puts around where he ends up going? You know, you've heard the word happiness
01:39uttered a lot from people that have talked to those in LeBron's orbit. I've done the same thing,
01:45and I've heard a lot of the same thing. With that, it's kind of a nebulous term that you can
01:49attach a lot of things to. You can say it's about playing with some of his friends. It's about
01:54competing for a championship. It's about living somewhere that he wants to live. So I think it's
01:59all of those things. I think what makes this just so fascinating is that for the first time in his
02:06career, LeBron James has not attached a dollar figure to what signing him is going to mean.
02:13In the past, he has been a full max guy everywhere he's gone. Took a little bit less, a minor
02:20haircut
02:20when he went down to Miami to make all the money work, but negligible. Everywhere else, he has been
02:25a full max player on multi-year deals. Now, he's telegraphing to teams that I'm not going to tell you
02:33how little I'll take, but it could be a smaller, it's going to be a lot smaller amount than I've
02:38taken
02:38before, and it could be a lot smaller than you think. I mean, just putting this out there, there
02:43are two exceptions that teams have access to in free agency. One is the $15 million exception.
02:51Another is a $6 million exception. They're usable by teams at various tax brackets, but some people
02:57have said like, all right, well, maybe LeBron would take the $15 million exception. That's a big haircut,
03:02but it's still $15 million. You could probably live with that. Now, there are a lot of people in the
03:07league wondering if he'll take $6 million. And if LeBron James would take $6 million, whatever
03:13you think of him at 41 years old, he is still one of the top 25 players in the league.
03:17If you can get
03:18a player like that for $6 million, you can change the perception of your team overnight.
03:25Chris, yeah, I guess just going off of that, where do you think the most likely destination
03:30for him is? And I know, obviously, this is kind of a second question, but the whole component of
03:35making the Golden State scenario work seems to be revolved around Anthony Davis. Would it make sense
03:40for Anthony Davis to be traded out there? Or do you think he stays a wizard? Where are you in
03:45line
03:45with on, I guess, those two former teammates and where they end up in this whole chaos of free agency?
03:52Well, the LeBron to Golden State stuff, I think, is real because nothing happens accidentally.
03:58Draymond Green doesn't opt out of his contract unless he knows what's going on.
04:01Draymond Green is represented by the same agent as LeBron James. Draymond Green has
04:06unflinching faith in the Warriors to do the right thing by him. He didn't opt out of his $27 million
04:11contract to be a nice guy. There's some kind of wheel in motion there that may or may not end
04:19up with LeBron in Golden State, but I do think that's the intention of the Golden State Warriors
04:23to make a run at LeBron James, pair him with Steph Curry, and see if they can find a way
04:28to maximize
04:29that window. Now, the Anthony Davis stuff, it just kind of got out there, and I'm not really sure there
04:36was any real fire behind it. From what I understand, the Wizards are not interested in dealing Anthony
04:42Davis. Washington made the Davis and Trey Young deals because they're looking to turn a corner.
04:49They've been so bad for so many years now, and they've got so many young players. They're looking for the
04:55guys that are going to help them win, and the guys that are going to help them mentor these big
04:59men.
05:00And in Washington, you've got Alex Saar there. Now you've got A.J. DeBansa there. You want Anthony
05:06Davis around, both as a player that can help you win and someone that can be a role model, a
05:11basketball
05:11role model to these guys. So when I've checked in with people in D.C., I'm not getting any indication
05:18that Anthony Davis is available. And if he is available, you're probably talking like a Giannis
05:22Tentacumpo-type package that you have to give up to extract him from D.C. That's how much I think
05:28they want him around, at least for this season. Now, with A.D., and I agree with everything you
05:35said. There's a great tweet this morning from Michael Redd, who was talking about that,
05:41right? Like, who are going to be the OGs that are signed to bring the younger generation along,
05:45teach them how to become professionals. But we had it on the bottom there with Anthony Davis,
05:50the extension that he could be due, four years, $275 million in August. Do you think the
05:56Wizards are interested in paying that? Or is this more of a one-year deal, and let's see
06:02where it goes?
06:03Well, I think the Wizards would do an extension on their terms. And look, they're in a good
06:10position with A.D. A.D.'s got a contract for this season. He's also got a player option at
06:14about $62 million for next season. That's a big number for a guy that's going to be entering
06:19his mid-30s. So they're in a position where they can say, all right, we'll add on some
06:24years to your contract, but we're not going to make it a $60 million per year type of deal.
06:30If you want to take $35 million, $40 million, I'm just kind of throwing those numbers out
06:34there. But if you want to take less, we might be willing to entertain that. I think the Wizards
06:39are in a pretty strong negotiating position right now with A.D. Because look, even if he doesn't
06:43want to be there, to get that next deal, he's going to have to play his butt off. And he's
06:48going to have to put up some big numbers this year and prove that he's healthy and all the
06:51things that go into getting that next contract. I think Michael Redd's 100% right on having
06:55these veterans because every team that's won a championship, by and large, has had some
07:00form of those guys. I mean, Boston brought in Al Horford and had a couple of other guys
07:04over the years. You look at Oklahoma City, Alex Caruso was a huge difference maker for
07:08them when they went on to win a championship. You need to have leaders in that locker room,
07:14both on the floor and guys that can be mentors off the floor. And look, I think that's what
07:18Anthony Davis and Trey Young have been brought into Washington to do.
07:22Well, we also just saw, I don't want to call him an old head, but another veteran in this
07:26league, Kawhi Leonard, get traded to Toronto yesterday. Now he's going to be going back
07:31to the Raptors and everything. We didn't really touch on it at the start of the show, but I'm
07:35curious, what was the motivation in terms of this trade from both ends? Do you think
07:41Kawhi is happy to be back in Toronto? And then I may have a follow-up depending on your answer.
07:45It is objectively hilarious that seven years after Kawhi Leonard walked away from a championship
07:53team, he is now going back to Toronto and probably going to sign a contract extension
07:57out there. Why does he want to go back to Toronto? I think you have to look at the medical
08:04aspect of it.
08:05The Toronto Raptors did a phenomenal job with Kawhi Leonard during that one year. They kept him
08:09healthy enough. I mean, they basically invented load management out there with Kawhi Leonard.
08:15And I think with Kawhi at 35 years old, looking to maximize the final years of his career,
08:22there's a lot of trust that he has in the front office and medical staff. Look, the roster
08:27is completely different than the one Kawhi left in 2019, but the front office is basically the same.
08:33I mean, Masai Ujiri is no longer there, but Bobby Webster was his lieutenant for all those years.
08:39He's now running basketball operations in Toronto. The medical staff is largely intact. I think
08:44there's just a lot of trust from Kawhi in that medical staff to get him through the next couple
08:50of years. And look, the Raptors, they're looking at the Eastern Conference going, all right, Kawhi,
08:54Scotty Barnes, we can do something with that. Got a couple other young players. Jamal Shedd is a guy
08:59on the rise, some guys on the front court. Like we might be able to make a move in the
09:02Eastern Conference
09:03with Kawhi Leonard on this team. But it is, I mean, it's just objectively hysterical that like,
09:09hey, we're now doing a reverse deal where Kawhi is going from the Clippers to Toronto. And the Raptors,
09:14they hate the Clippers. Like they hate them. Like they, they, all these years ago, they believed
09:19the Clippers tampered with Kawhi. They believed they did some illegal stuff to get him out there.
09:23Now, here they are doing a deal to get Kawhi back in Toronto. It is, it is a story I
09:29never would have
09:29been able to predict when he signed there seven years ago. You answered my follow-up question.
09:34Clippers do illegal deals? Wait, it doesn't make any sense.
09:37Are you sure, Chris? I don't know. Man, that seems crazy. Liam, what do you got?
09:40You remember, by the way, just real quick, like the, like the Clippers, it's not illegal what they did
09:47necessarily, at least some of it with Kawhi, but they used to send a representative of the team,
09:52whether it was Lawrence Frank or a scout, to every single Raptors game. Just so like,
09:57in case Kawhi looked into the stands, they would see someone from the Clippers there,
10:02like showing him, it was almost like college recruiting, showing him how much they wanted.
10:05That infuriated the Raptors, infuriated Masayu Jiri. Like the bad blood between these two sides
10:12was very real. That's thirsty. That's crazy. All right. What do you got, Liam?
10:16Hey, Chris, Liam Blutman here for transparency, not an association guy. Can't keep things real there.
10:22I do have a question about LeBron James, though. I want to circle back to him. The voice in his
10:28head,
10:29what do you think the demeanor is? Do you think it's like loud, convincing, zany? What do you think?
10:37I would say loud is probably a good way to put it. I mean, he's like, you got to have
10:42a loud voice
10:43in your head. If you're on year 24, what is it now? And playing into your 42nd year and still
10:48being
10:49a top 25 guy. I mean, I guess, I guess loud would be the, the way, I mean, he's a
10:54loud guy in general.
10:55He's loud on social media. He's loud on the court. He's loud. I'm assuming he's loud in his head as
11:00well.
11:01We will always be thankful for his eight years with the Lakers, including the title he led us to
11:05in 2020 under the toughest imaginable circumstances and the countless records he broke in purple and
11:11gold. We wish him all the best in the future, both on the court and off. He will always be
11:16a cherished
11:16part of the Lakers family. And LeBron with a little repost and a comment. No, thank you. Truly an honor
11:24to
11:25wear the purple and gold while trying to continuing the greatness and legacies that came before me.
11:30Hope I made a few proud during my stint. So there is a lot that we can get to here,
11:37guys. And most of
11:38the most interesting things I do think are looking forward. But for a moment, I want to look at his
11:43time with the Lakers. It's eight years. It's a title. He breaks Kareem's scoring record. He takes the mic
11:52after Kobe Bryant tragically passes away and addresses the Lakers crowd. Like a lot of signature moments
11:59for LeBron as a Laker when they were coming off of, I had it here, the five years before he
12:06got
12:06there, 35 wins, 26 wins, 17 wins, 21 and 27 years. Sometimes there are bad feelings when LeBron
12:16leaves a franchise historically. KOC, I don't think that can be the case here. Lakers fans and the
12:22Lakers organization should be nothing but grateful to LeBron James.
12:25I would agree with that, Danny. I remember back in 2017, when there were first rumblings about LeBron
12:31James going to LA, that was at a time where the Lakers felt like they had no direction.
12:35And LeBron James gave them a direction. And it was about trying to compete, trying to contend.
12:40Getting Anthony Davis obviously led to the championship in 2020 in the bubble. And I'm going to look back at
12:46LeBron's career with the Lakers as, hey, it's hard to believe he actually stayed there eight years,
12:50the longest stop of his entire career, but be an overall success because he gave one of the NBA's
12:56marquee franchises meaning, purpose, turned them into a winner every single year. And even though
13:02they only won one title in those eight years, I think it was overall a success. And I can't imagine
13:08Lakers fans will look at him down at all after deciding to leave this offseason.
13:14I agree. I mean, when you think about what he did for this franchise, you know, he's just as,
13:19you know, I wouldn't say just as good as obviously some of the former Lakers, but when you look at
13:24just, you know, the eight years there, the impact that he had on winning, the fact that to the point
13:30of when he got there in 2018, it got the conversation back to where it was supposed to be for
13:36a franchise
13:36like that about winning championships. And then obviously the winning in 2020, especially with
13:42everything that happened in 2020, obviously, with even the great Kobe Bryant passing and delivering
13:48a championship to the city of Los Angeles, it was definitely a healing moment, you know, for the city.
13:55And, you know, he was a big reason for it. So I think that, you know, moving forward, even though
13:59he did,
14:00you know, win championships in Miami and in Cleveland, I think that a lot of people will look at him
14:06as a Laker. And, you know, there may be a small, small chance that maybe, you know, maybe he'll get
14:10a statue
14:11outside of the crypto arena as well.
14:14Yeah, Brew always jokes about all of the statues that they have in L.A. I don't know that he'll
14:19get a statue,
14:20but to your point, Al, it's not just about the counting sets. But if we put it up there and
14:25we put up
14:26like how LeBron's Lakers tenure measures up to some of those other players, it is pretty remarkable
14:32where at this stage of his career, fourth in points, you've heard of Jerry West, Eldridge Baylor,
14:38Shaquille O'Neal, second in assists behind Magic, double-doubles, Magic, Shaq, pow, triple-doubles,
14:44second to Magic. Like he is, some of those are per-game stats, I understand, but just in terms of
14:49overall contributions to the Lakers, I don't know that I will think of LeBron as a player of any
14:56singular team. Like he kind of was his own dynasty. He was his own era, which is what makes him
15:01special. But I still would say, Al, that he is an all-time Laker because of the title and those
15:07things that he accomplished.
15:09I'm telling you, don't be surprised. I'm telling you, when it's all said and done, you know, 10 years
15:13from now, when, you know, when we're like obviously still talking about him and, you know, seeing where
15:17the Lakers are and stuff like that, I'm telling you, I wouldn't be surprised that, you know, just to your
15:21point
15:22and like when you show those stats, the things that he was able to do in those eight years and
15:26just all the memories, you know, the fact that a lot of the records that he broke that are all
15:31-time
15:31records, he did that in Lakers purple and gold. And I'm telling you, that means something. That
15:37means something to the Lakers fans. That means something to the league in general. And it should
15:40mean something to the bus family and even a new ownership group of all the things that, you know,
15:45that he brought to that, to this city or to this franchise.
15:49And I think along those lines, as Al was saying, with everything that he accomplished in Los Angeles,
15:54the precedent is there for the Lakers. Elgin Baylor has a statue. He did not win a ring
15:59with Los Angeles. And so there's a statue for Elgin Baylor because of his accomplishments as a player
16:04on the floor for the Lakers. And I think you obviously, the other guys, Shaq and Kareem and Magic
16:09and Kobe, those guys have the rings argument. But with LeBron James, I think there's a precedent there
16:14for him to have a statue. And obviously, without a doubt, the jersey number will be retired.
16:19That's not even a conversation. But the statue, I think there's an argument, but I would lean
16:24towards he does end up getting one.
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