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LeBron James, in case you haven’t heard, is still a free agent. The 41-year-old superstar wants to play a 24th NBA season next year but decided he didn’t want to to do so while wearing a Lakers uniform; his agent, Rich Paul, informed the franchise (and the world) of that decision ahead of free agency’s opening on June 30. Since then, it’s been all quiet on the Western front.
Well, not all quiet. James appeared at Fanatics Fest in New York City last week and politely answered all queries about his impending decision without offering any concrete intel on what direction he might be leaning. The rumor mill is constantly churning around five teams—the Cavaliers, Heat, Warriors, 76ers and Timberwolves. And Paul himself has weighed in on his most famous client’s decision-making process a few times, via his Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman or otherwise.
The last note is the most interesting because, of all the people speaking publicly about James’s decision, Paul has the best insight by far. Obviously. While his profile has grown significantly over the years, Paul is still James’s agent first and foremost. He’s the one answering calls from interested teams this summer and working with the superstar himself to determine what his priorities are.
At this point, however, the only thing people want to hear from Paul is when James’s decision is coming. He previously addressed that topic earlier this month, telling Forbes he didn’t think it was coming anytime soon. Paul also emphasized James is “taking his time” with this free agency choice because of its unique nature compared to his previous forays into the open market.
“This is the first time he’s making a decision that is truly for him,” Paul said back on July 4. “There is no pressure. When he left Cleveland [in 2010], he had to win a ring. When he came back, he had to deliver on the promise. This is at this stage where he can decide what he wants to do and how he wants to do it.”
Three weeks later and James has yet to reveal who he’ll be playing for next season despite pleas from the fans, teams who want to know what their rosters are going to look like and even from NBA commissioner Adam Silver. Paul felt it was time to reiterate that his client is operating on nobody’s timeline but his own.
“We’re not going to be rushed,” Paul stated on his podcast. “We’re not going to be rushed. It’s his choice to make and when he makes the choice, he’ll make it.
“I think it’s important for people to understand: We’re not making this about attention and a spectacle. It’s not about [making it another The Decision] or anything like that. He has a choice to make. He has a business choice to make. We’re not going to sit here and decide or allow someone else to decide when he makes that decision.”
Paul further noted he spoke to Silver after the commissioner called for James to make his decision so the schedule-making process could move forward. The agent’s message was consistent.
“I saw Adam in New York and we discussed it. And like I said, it’s still his choice. So if he doesn’t really know, you can’t rush it. You can’t rush it.”
James is taking his time, clearly. And nothing will speed up the process at this point.
Why LeBron’s free agency might drag out even longer
Everybody wants James to make a decision, obviously. But the man himself isn’t operating on any basketball-related timeline.
Every team’s cards are on the table at this point. They’ve made their voice memo pitches to James and it’s far past the time in the calendar for teams to make huge, roster-altering decisions. If James signs in the summer, it’s almost certain to be largely the same team in the fall when the season starts. The superstar forward’s past is littered with examples of teams making big moves the moment he signs with them but that won’t be the case this time around. Paul further confirmed that by sharing on his podcast that he’s been telling teams there are no moves they could make to further entice James to sign there. And we’ve known from the beginning that The King isn’t prioritizing a big contract this time around.
So if he’s going to sign for roughly the same amount no matter where he goes, and he isn’t hoping his new team will reshape the roster in his image once his signature appears on the dotted line ... what’s the rush? His new team won’t have to clear cap space or scramble to work up a big trade out of nowhere. Outside of getting to know his new teammates, there is no basketball or finance-based reason to hurry it up.
It might be a while, in other words. James will have to make his decision with plenty of advanced notice before the start of the regular season so he can get his own ducks in a row, of course. But other than that transient deadline? There’s nothing to motivate him to make the call.
As Paul keeps telling us.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as LeBron James’s Agent Continues to Insist the Same Thing About Free Agency Decision Timeline.
