Return to the Cavaliers? James statement has caused heated discussion, US media lists 8 potential destinations, and the four top picks are expected to join forces

NBA trading market has officially opened, and the overall day of the first day was still calm. But under this superficial calm, a whirlpool about James' future destination is quietly forming. Just before the transfer market opened, James officially announced that he would implement the player option. His agent team has been emphasizing that whether James will choose to stay in the Lakers depends on whether the team can form a team with the ability to win the championship.

, and famous reporter Shams pointed out in the report: The signings this summer are crucial to the Lakers. Once the team cannot build a strong enough lineup, James will be open to joining other teams. At present, the Lakers do not seem to plan to continue to work hard on signing players. On the first day, they just signed an irrelevant player.

The US media, who is not interested in the big deal, began to consider James' future. CBS Sports sorted the other 29 teams in the league at once, and predicted James' possible ownership through 8 different levels.

The 8th level: The probability is 0%

Teams in this level include: Jazz, Pelicans, Hornets, Wizards, Kings, Raptors, Trail Blazers, Grizzlies, and Bulls. There are two common characteristics of these teams. One is that they are all in the stage of comprehensive reconstruction and do not have the ability to compete for the championship in a short period of time; the other is that these teams are all veritable small ball markets in the league. The two factors are linked together, so naturally James cannot be interested even if it is a little bit.

CBS Sports also argued why it was impossible for James to be a member of these teams. The Jazz are now playing all out, and rookies are avoiding him, let alone the number one player in the league; Murray and James of the Pelicans are the same agent, and they know how chaotic the team is; and the Bulls are even more interesting, because James seems to be always taking it out and comparing with Jordan, so he cannot follow Jordan's footsteps to choose the Bulls.

Level 7: Probability 10%

Teams in this level include: Pistons, Timberwolves, Magic, Hawks, and 76ers. Compared with the previous teams, the overall strength of the seventh-level team is very strong, and the Timberwolves have reached the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive years. Although the Pistons and Magic have the growing Cunningham and Ben Keiro, it is obvious that James has no more time to wait for him to grow up; the Timberwolves are completely under Edwards' world, and they cannot expect James to become a second-in-command character; the 76ers are undoubtedly an attractive choice, and when James became a free agent in 2018, the 76ers had contacted him, but given Embiid's glass man physique, James was obviously unwilling to take any adventures.

The 6th level: the probability is 30% (powerless)

Teams in this level include: Bucks, Suns, and Rockets. All three teams have league stars in the team, but unfortunately, even though James is willing to be one of them, these teams obviously cannot provide enough chips to impress the Lakers.

The Bucks' salary is currently in a big explosion, with Antetokounmpo and Lillard accounting for more than 100 million. In addition, the team really doesn’t have any bargaining chips like first-round picks, so after we see that after the transfer period begins, they can only sign some basic salary and blue-collar players. The Suns' lineup has basically been locked down, and Booker cannot be the target of the transaction. As long as the Lakers' management has a normal mind, it is impossible for James to exchange for Bill who has the right to trade veto. The Rockets are indeed enough in terms of salary and chips, but if they have two super veterans, James and Durant at once, the management still thinks that such a risk is too high.

Level 5: Probability 50%

The two teams in this level are the Pacers and the Thunder. As the final teams of last season, there is naturally no need to mention the strength of the two teams. Burton has become the best organizer in the league, and James is definitely happy to cooperate with him. Unfortunately, he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the finals. He may face reimbursement next season. And he can only give a question mark on how he will perform after he recovers from injury. James will definitely not choose to take risks.

For the Thunder, the team obviously will not make any changes to the championship lineup, which is young and energetic enough. Besides, they are already preparing to sign the largest contract extension in history with Alexander. It would be more than worth the effort to chase James at this time.

The 4th level: The probability is 60%

The teams in this level are the Celtics and the Heat, but obviously even if the two teams can come up with matching chips, James will not be able to join. The first is the Celtics. During the years James played in the East, he was one of the most difficult opponents in front of the Celtics. He has sent the Celtics home in the knockout rounds many times. Faced with such an enemy-like relationship, I believe the Celtics management will not consider getting James.

For the Heat, everyone thinks that James' sudden departure was the biggest betrayal of the team.

The third level: the probability is 70%

Teams in this level include the Nets, Spurs, Nuggets, and Clippers. Among them, the Nets and the Clippers are both big clubs, and there is no shortage of audiences and box office. When James plays here, he can still enjoy the feeling of standing in the center of the stage. The Spurs have Wen Ban, the future super giant, and the cooperation between the two will definitely burst into enough sparks. The Nuggets have the world's number one player Jokic. If James comes, the Nuggets will be able to become the championship team.

But three of the four teams above may not be able to meet the needs of the Lakers. They really couldn't get their salary or chips, so they took over James' big contract.

2nd level: Probability 75%

Teams in this level include the Mavericks, Knicks and Warriors. The Mavericks' lineup is indeed terrifyingly strong. If James joins, the effect of the four No. 1 picks bonds will be destined to make the team popular, whether on the field or in terms of commercial interests. But a pity is that the Mavericks also lack enough chips in their hands, and they cannot be crazy enough to trade James at the end of their career with the No. 1 pick or other important chips. The chips that the Warriors can take out are Butler, but given his performance and super high salary, the Lakers are really unwilling to swallow this contract. As for the Knicks, they do have good room for operation, but the price is that except for the five starting players, the bench has no combat power at all. Such an unbalanced lineup can still be passed in the regular season, and once it reaches the playoffs, I am afraid that I will not be able to get better results.

First level: 80%

If among all teams, the one who most hopes to get James is definitely his hometown team Cavaliers. The Cavaliers have enough operation space and they can find ways to save 20 million in salary space, but when James joined forces with Mitchell and Mobley, the Cavaliers are another team with the ability to win the championship. And if you return to the Knights, the topic of falling leaves returning to the roots is enough to allow the alliance to gain more commercial benefits.