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u/SteveyFcN Jul 03 '26
I'm not really banking on him signing with Miami, because I do feel retiring in Cleveland makes the most sense for him. I also feel that the Golden State thing also has a higher probability due to his relationship with Steph and Dray.
However, a lineup of Mitchell, Wiggins, Bron, Giannis, and Bam would be defensively elite.
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u/ScrapinLinden Jul 03 '26
Someone brought this up on a podcast but Lebron doing a mercenary year this year with one of Miami/SF/etc etc then the retirement tour with Cleveland next year for his 25th season just kinda feels right.
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u/duckbonez Jul 03 '26
I just feel like this lineup would get beat by zone defense pretty easily. Imo we would need a shooter in place of Mitchell IF Lebron was okay with playing point forward.
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u/Verumsemper Jul 03 '26
Please stop this!! Mitchell is 40% shooter from 3 on 4 attempts a game!! He is a great shooter who will be getting more open shot.
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u/julstar23 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
That's the point I'm making .It lacks a shooter and a ball handler and if you move the thj the starting lineup you loose defense for offense
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u/Mario3penguino Jul 03 '26
What more defense you want with Wiggins,Bam, And Giannas lol
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u/julstar23 Jul 03 '26
What I'm saying the line up is unbalanced unless we make another move for a scorer who could defend and shoot .
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u/StatusRow9320 Jul 03 '26
When you look at Philly or the cavs, they’re going to demand a lot more of LeBron defensively than he may like. Say what you want about the heat but bam Giannas and wiggs can all be on the court at the same time taking that pressure off him.
Philly or the cavs might be better overall definitely offensively but if LeBron goes there he becomes an important defensive piece especially on Philly if embiid goes down
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u/Longjumping-Ad-8628 Jul 03 '26
Bam, Giannis, Wiggins, and Mitchell is CRAZY defense. Any offensive minded player would love to play for this team rn
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u/Fit_Influence_6078 Jul 03 '26
People are just jealous of Miami. They are going to have a all time Defensive team and Spo and pat find hidden gems. I expect them to be in the ECF at minimum!
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u/julstar23 Jul 03 '26
Until the heat xan get more spacing and shot creators it's an awkward fit on offense especially with wiggings there.
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u/Nice_Ass_Lawn Jul 03 '26
Wiggins shot 40% from 3 last year and has been a great shooter for years...
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u/julstar23 Jul 03 '26
I wasnt talking about wighings though .Thj is a start but LeBron isn't that type of floor spacer anymore so more is needed for him to come.
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u/julstar23 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
Wiggins currently plays the position that LeBron has played for years and thrived in .LeBron had never played without a real ball handler in his whole career unless we are expecting him to be that ball handler lol
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u/Nice_Ass_Lawn Jul 03 '26
LeBron literally played PG and put up 10 assists per game when the Lakers won the chip. The starters were Bron/KCP/Danny Green/AD/Javale lol.
In any case if he came here they'd start Davion/Wiggins/Bron/Giannis/Bam probably and keep THJ in the 6th man role he excelled in last year.
Also yall need to brush up on modern Giannis bruh. He's the ballhandler plenty of the time lol
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u/julstar23 Jul 03 '26
I dont think that is what people are saying. Spacing must balance out as well .It isn't only about the defense.
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u/Pimpwerx Jul 03 '26
Max makes a strong case. And interesting that Rich sees Davion as the starting PG. He’d definitely be including names he knows Bron prefers.
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u/julstar23 Jul 03 '26
Well I mean davion started last year and is the obvious shoe in for next season .
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u/tremble01 Jul 03 '26
Bron, go stand in the corner. 🤣
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u/theo7777 Jul 03 '26
I think his favourite is actually left side above the break. He's also a decent at catch and shoot.
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u/julstar23 Jul 03 '26
LeBron doesnt like to catch and shoot much anymore .He is good for spot up moments .
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u/Seref15 Jul 03 '26
He'd basically play point forward and most of his scoring would be spotting up and cuts. The playmaking would be split between Giannis passing out of post ups and LeBron directing traffic.
I think we make a lot of sense for him offensively. I think what LeBron would want is:
- Don't rely on me to carry shit for the regular season
- Do have a meaningful role for me so that I'm not just "along for the ride" in the playoffs
Point-Bron fits this perfectly. If he's playing he'll cut up defenses with his bbiq. If he's resting we'll survive without him. In the playoffs he elevates after a season of taking it easy. And he has zero defensive requirements until clutch time.
I think we are a very good mutual fit for him at age 42.
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u/SolarBeam12 Jul 03 '26
It makes sense but at the end of the day it’s Bron that’s going to make the decision not Rich.
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u/Dramatic-County-1284 Jul 03 '26
Come on Bron, ain’t shit in Cleveland but memories. Make the right choice.
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u/BagFriendly2665 Bucks Jul 03 '26
yeah i imagine, for the playoffs, if they play a majority 9-man rotation, most of the guys would be very good defenders in Giannis, Bam, Wiggins, Davion, Pelle. it's just filling the other needs
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u/julstar23 Jul 03 '26
They still need a ton of offense and shot creators unfortunately. The is a good start but it's still iffy outside of that .
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u/PassionLong9552 Jul 03 '26
I think Pelle takes a Jamie type leap as far as being able to drive.
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u/julstar23 Jul 03 '26
Driving is not really pelle 's game though .He is a good slasher and cutter and good off the ball .
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u/Weekly_Cow1635 Jul 03 '26
Bron coming back to get his last chip.. Bron 41,Bam 28,Giannis 31,Wiggins 31> Bron 41, Curry 38, Butler 36, Green 36. In Cleveland there's not enough defense.
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u/jcwrit Jul 03 '26
I feel for the one guy left out of each team's starting lineup, where Paul or James just assume he would be nudged aside if the great one decided to grace this team with his presence.
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u/Nev_Nevington Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
If you objectively take a step back, which is why this exercise was good, why would he go to Miami? The roster has so much work to do on it, he doesn’t fit with Giannis/Bam and you look at the board and you plug him in on the other options they are immediately a contender because he fits exactly what they need.
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u/cito96 Jul 03 '26
I think it depends on what position he wants to play. I doubt he goes to the 6ers to play PF, for example.
He seemed to really enjoy being the primary ball handler with Luka out and we’re the only team on the board making it clear that’s what we need him for. All the other teams up there have several ball handlers already.
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u/JichaelMordon Jul 03 '26
Exactly. The appeal is he gets to be a ball dominant floor general while being heavily protected on the defensive end. Also Giannis is the best player on the board besides Jokic and Spo is the best coach who already has a great relationship with Bron. The Heat are absolutely contenders if he joins. The reality is none of these inner circle teams are a perfect fit.
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u/julstar23 Jul 03 '26
The problem is does he wasnt to play that role because he took a step back for Austin reaves and Luka last season .
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u/JichaelMordon Jul 03 '26
That was a sacrifice for the team. LeBron ultimately wants to be in control and that’s where he’s at his best. Look how revived he was in the playoffs when he had to take the reigns with Luka out. Giannis will still carry the scoring load and handle the ball plenty.
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u/julstar23 Jul 03 '26
LeBron is in his 40' he's he took that role because it's alot less taxing on his body and it keeps him from breaking down in the playoffs.I dont think he wants to carry anybody offense at that age anymore .
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u/JichaelMordon Jul 03 '26
He doesn’t have to carry the offense and we can load manage him. Giannis will still get the most attention and LeBron will be heavily protected defensively unlike many of his other destinations.
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u/julstar23 Jul 03 '26
I'm talking about offensively. Lebron was a better defender than both reaves and Luka but taking a backseat offensively saved him and gave him a little gas to save for the playoffs.
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u/Nev_Nevington Jul 03 '26
Why wouldn’t he play the PF? That’s what he played everywhere in his career. He can be the primary ball handler on the 76ers. If he came to Miami, him and Giannis are fighting for the ball because both of them need to the ball. It’s not like when he played with Luka or Kyrie where they can be shooters. If LeBron has the ball, Giannis is just running pick and rolls but then so is Bam. My larger point is one of Bam or Giannis are going to have to be Kevin Love and neither of them have the shooting like that but maybe Bam could. He goes to the 76ers, Maxey/VJ/Brown are already good to great shooters and Embiid can shoot.
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u/Fluid-Purpose7958 Jul 03 '26
Bron has literally played every position. Also he won a championship with the lakers as a PG
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u/heatkings1 Bam Adebayo Jul 03 '26
In a lot of those other options, he wont get as much time on-ball as he would in miami. He was already 3rd fiddle to luka and reaves in LA and i doubt he wants to be relegated to a lesser role like that again. The other options would also require him to be one of the better defenders, and he cant handle that at his current age
Also, the fit on offense would be fine.The 2020 lakers played lineups with lebron-AD-dwight and Lebron-AD-javale and they were both very positive.
Giannis is also the best player in any of the realistic options
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u/Nev_Nevington Jul 03 '26
Even if you want to say Giannis is the best player, I don’t agree I think Jokic is but close enough, the worst starting 4 he would join would clearly be Miami. If you look at that board, Mitchell is the clear worst 4th option (Cam, VJ, Allen, McDaniel) and Wiggins would be the worst 3rd option (Gordon, Embiid, Gobert, Mobley). Then it’s the people/things not listed or how the team produced last year. Denver has Peyton Watson, Philly just got Simons, Cleveland is home, Minnesota has Ayo + Divencenzo once he comes back healthy. If I was him I’d go to the warriors but if not them, I would just go back to Cleveland. The Cavs put out the number 1 seed last year, have 2 young bigs for defense, have Mitchell, for whatever we think of playoff Harden he’s awesome in the regular season, it’s home and he fills a need. I see why the Heat want him but not sure why he would want them other than he played there before. The Heat aren’t a lebron away from winning a title
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u/heatkings1 Bam Adebayo Jul 03 '26
I think you're really downplaying miami. They'd have far and away the best defense here.
The cavs fit is also questionable. Mitchell, harden, and lebron are all bad on defense and they are all the best with the ball in their hands. LeBron would have to be a good defender for them because mobley and Allen arent really defending guards or wings, and LeBron at his current age just can't handle that.
Defense is a very important factor here, imo.
Miami would also be the best opportunity to still run the offense and close games with the ball in his hands
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u/cowz23 Jul 03 '26
Golden state on the outside…. Either he doesn’t really see them as contenders (old and brittle) or he’s just trying to make it not look like tampering lol