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When LeBron James has been a free agent in the past, he’s been pretty exclusive about which teams he allows to pursue him. Though far more teams tried to get him, in his past three legitimate free agencies, he and agent Rich Paul have taken 14 total meetings:

In 2010, James met with the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. He wound up signing with the Heat.
In 2014, Rich Paul conducted meetings on James’ behalf with the Heat, Cavaliers, Bulls, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers. James would later meet with the Heat personally as well as the Cavaliers before ultimately returning to Cleveland.
In 2018, James met with the Lakers, while Paul met with the 76ers on his behalf. He ultimately joined the Lakers.
But he’s taking a different approach to his 2026 free agency. It’s July 2, and the only team he’s known to have ruled out is the Lakers. Conversations have been held, and interest has seemingly been expressed, but it does not seem as though James is in any rush to make up his mind, nor has a field truly been set. He has essentially told the league to come and get him.

So you know what? If any team can get Rich Paul on the phone right now and try to sell James on a future playing for them, why don’t we make the pitch? Below, we’re going to make the pitch for all 29 non-Laker teams and rank them based on their likelihood of success.

As much of the reporting has thus far suggested, the primary driver for James here is going to be happiness. What exactly does that mean? The ability to legitimately compete for a championship, for one. Playing in a market that is, for one reason or another, desirable is another. Personal relationships with key stakeholders help. And while money will by no means be a dealbreaker for those who don’t have it, the ability to pay James a salary commensurate with his stature in the sport certainly doesn’t hurt.

Something further to keep in mind: the fact that James is seemingly open to taking a minimum or close to minimum salary means that he is going to generate a substantial amount of surplus value for whichever team he signs with. Having, say, a $30 million player count for less than $3 million against the cap is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for front offices. James, therefore, has the leverage to make some requests here. With that in mind, a category we will keep in mind will be what sort of moves these teams can still make to appeal to James.

Got it? Good. Let’s begin

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29. Memphis Grizzlies
    The pitch: “You started your career by playing with Carlos Boozer for a year. Finish your career by playing with Cameron Boozer for a year. Plus, there will probably be an opportunity for a pretty lucrative Hyatt sponsorship here.”

Likelihood of success: Non-existent. He literally said he might have “pulled an Eli Manning” to avoid playing for the Grizzlies had they drafted him.

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28. Milwaukee Bucks
    The pitch: “Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t think an MVP could win a championship with this team. Prove him wrong!”

Likelihood of success: Non-existent. James disparaged Milwaukee in the same clip in which he went after Memphis.

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27. New Orleans Pelicans
    The pitch: “You’ve never been able to celebrate Mardi Gras since it falls during the season. Now’s your chance!”

Likelihood of success: Non-existent. If James wants to partake in the Mardi Gras festivities, he’s free to do so after he retires, but the man is in his 40s. New Orleans is a city that tends to appeal to a younger crowd.

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26. Sacramento Kings
    The pitch: “Think of the branding opportunities of The King playing for the Kings!”

Likelihood of success: Non-existent. There is no beam bright enough to lure LeBron to Sacramento.

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25. Charlotte Hornets
    The pitch: “We have infinite shooting and just traded our point guard, so you can handle the ball and pad all of your scoring records by attacking the basket with our incredible spacing.”

Likelihood of success: Non-existent. A fun basketball idea, but James wants to play for an all-in team, not one that just traded away a star and plays in a lackluster market.

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24. Utah Jazz
    The pitch: “We’re gonna start trying to win now that our tank is complete and we’ve acquired Jaren Jackson Jr. Plus, nothing would bug Laker fans more than watching you sign with Danny Ainge. The Lakers just went all out to get Walker Kessler from us rather than keep you, so wouldn’t it be sweet to play for us and show them what they’re missing out on?”

Likelihood of success: Non-existent. Again, fun idea, ultimately unrealistic. James has chosen golf as his middle-aged hobby, not skiing.

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23. Phoenix Suns
    The pitch: “We’re close to Los Angeles, have great golf, and you played with Devin Booker on Team USA.”

Likelihood of success: Non-existent. They’re a play-in team with minimal upside to be better, and they’re too chaotic an organization to get the end of LeBron’s career. It shouldn’t register as noteworthy when your head coach makes it to his second season on the job.

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22. Orlando Magic
    The pitch: “Your minimum salary will go further without state income taxes, and we have some of the best golf in the world!”

Likelihood of success: Non-existent. There’s a better team in the state that he’s more familiar with, and there’s not nearly enough shooting here for the roster to make sense for him.

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21. Chicago Bulls
    The pitch: “There’s no better path to passing Michael Jordan than winning in his uniform!”

Likelihood of success: Non-existent. They’re too many years away, and their new front office still has too much to prove.

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20. Portland Trail Blazers
    The pitch: “We have a lot of former All-Stars, one present All-Star, and we’re close to the Nike campus.”

Likelihood of success: Non-existent. That team has more than enough mouths to feed with the Ja Morant trade as it is, they don’t need another player who wants the ball in his hands.

Jaylen Brown’s Boston Celtics career started with a chorus of boos from fans angry that the team selected him with the No. 3 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. A decade later, it ended with a chorus of boos from fans angry that the team traded him to a bitter rival that had knocked them out of the playoffs two months earlier.

In between, Brown won a championship and a Finals MVP, made six Eastern Conference Finals and two Finals, earned five All-Star and two All-NBA appearances, never missed the playoffs, appeared in 816 of a possible 942 games (86.6%) between the regular season and playoffs, and became an icon in Boston.

And now he’s gone, and the Brown-Jayson Tatum era, one of the most successful in the history of the storied franchise, is over.

The trade — Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks — is a gut punch to the fanbase that is difficult to comprehend. Even Brown remains at a loss nearly 24 hours later.

“I’m still processing how this all went down. I’m excited and disappointed at the same time. I earned my respect from this city. I never asked for shortcuts or special treatment. I simply showed up every day, put my head down, and accepted every challenge,” Brown wrote in a statement Thursday.

Shortly after he was drafted, Brown donned a Celtics hat and made a promise to the people of Boston: “I’m gonna go to war for this city. I’m going to play with a lot of passion and leave it all on the floor every night.”

“I’m overly confident. I believe in myself 100%,” Brown continued. “I believe in my game and I believe in my work ethic. I don’t believe anybody works as hard as me, especially not in this draft class. I’m going to go out and show what I can do. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It’ll take time. [But] you’ll see.”

He stayed true to his word.

Brown got better year after year, to the point that he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season, finished sixth in MVP voting and turned what was supposed to be a gap year into a 56-win campaign and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. He never missed extended time, and even played through a partially torn meniscus in the 2025 playoffs. He immersed himself in the community with his foundation and charity work.

“Yeah, I play for the Celtics,” Brown said last year. “Yeah, I started businesses here. But I’ve also been in the community. I’ve been in the Boys and Girls Clubs. I’ve connected with people. I spend time. People know me by name because I spend time in the community.

“Sports are very powerful. But there are other things that are more important.”

Brown was not a perfect player. And he is an expensive one. He is owed $183 million over the next three seasons and is up for a $142 million extension later this month. Also, some of his comments over the last year were confusing at best and selfish at worst. Why would you say last season was your “favorite season” of your career immediately after the team blew a 3-1 lead in the first round of the playoffs?

But what player is perfect?

Brown was easy to root for because of his work ethic and drive as much as his incredible talent. For a decade, every time you walked into TD Garden or turned on the TV for a Celtics game, you could count on Brown to be on the floor giving it his all. And more times than not, the Celtics won.

If the Celtics had traded him for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, everyone would have understood. Many would have celebrated. Instead, they replaced him with a 36-year-old who has reached the 60-game mark once this decade and was suspended 25 games last season for violating the league’s anti-drug policy and four draft picks that may not amount to anything.

Brown, who reportedly never asked to be traded, didn’t mention the organization in his farewell message.

“The relationships I built here, the battles we fought together, the championship we brought to this city, and the connection I shared with the fans, I’ll carry on with me. Saying goodbye isn’t easy when you’ve invested your heart into something,” Brown wrote.

“I’m big on respect and actions speak louder than words. To the people of Boston, thank you. To the community I built here I love you, and to the shiftaz we are locked in for life.”

Not long ago, when Brown was riding through the streets of Boston on a duck boat, Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy in hand, it seemed he and the Celtics would be locked in for life, too. Now he’s gone, and when next season begins without Brown in the starting lineup next to Jayson Tatum, fans will still be wondering why it had to end this way.

The San Antonio Spurs have added Billy Donovan to their coaching staff, according to ESPN. Donovan, who stepped down as the coach of the Chicago Bulls in April, will reportedly be Mitch Johnson’s lead assistant.

Donovan, a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s class of 2025, reportedly interviewed with the Orlando Magic before they hired Sean Sweeney. Weeks before that, the University of North Carolina was reportedly interested in hiring him, but Donovan wouldn’t engage with UNC (or any other interested college programs) until the end of the NBA season, by which point Michael Malone had already been named coach of the Tar Heels.

In San Antonio, the 61-year-old Donovan will be an assistant coach for the first time in more than three decades. He began his coaching career under Rick Pitino at Kentucky, but left for a head-coaching job at Marshall in 1994. After two years there and 19 years at Florida (where he won two national championships), he made the jump to the NBA in 2015. Donovan spent five years with the Oklahoma City Thunder and six with the Bulls, accumulating a 469-413 record.

Ranking five best moves of NBA offseason (so far): 76ers’ shocking Jaylen Brown trade tops the list
Brad Botkin
Ranking five best moves of NBA offseason (so far): 76ers’ shocking Jaylen Brown trade tops the list
The Thunder reached the postseason in all five of Donovan’s seasons, but the Bulls had just one playoff berth under his watch. That came in the 2021-22 season and resulted in a first-round exit. Chicago failed to reach the postseason or finish with a winning record in Donovan’s last four years. Nonetheless, the Bulls, after significant front-office changes, said they wanted Donovan to return as their coach next season. He decided to pursue other options instead.

“After a series of thoughtful and extensive discussions with ownership regarding the future of the organization, I have decided to step away as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, to allow the search process to unfold,” Donovan said. “I believe it is in the best interest of the Bulls, to allow the new leader to build out the staff as they see fit.”

Donovan will now fill the role vacated by Sweeney, who was Johnson’s lead assistant last season as the Spurs marched all the way to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the New York Knicks in five games. It was Johnson’s first season as San Antonio’s full-time head coach. The 39-year-old assumed the role on an interim basis after longtime coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke in 2024-25.

LeBron James is, by far, the biggest name on the free-agent market as he tries to figure out where he’ll spend his 24th NBA season after announcing he will not re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers following eight years in L.A.

When James announced he was hitting free agency, the quickly speculated short list of suitors included the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Miami Heat — two teams he’s starred for in the past and one that gives him a chance to play with his good friend and longtime rival Stephen Curry. However, James and his agent Rich Paul have been clear that they’re willing to hear pitches from everyone around the league and that, in the right situation, a veteran minimum deal isn’t out of the question.

On Friday, Paul put out a new episode of his Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman. He detailed the teams James is considering on a whiteboard, listing 10 and outlining what he sees as the pros and cons of each potential destination.

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Game Over Podcast
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1. Philadelphia 76ers
   Interestingly enough, the first team discussed was not one of those three presumptive frontrunners, but instead the Philadelphia 76ers, who are suddenly an intriguing option after trading for Jaylen Brown. Per Paul, “everything changed” after the Brown trade, and he detailed why Philadelphia would be a great fit for James.

Paul noted that James “loves [Tyrese] Maxey” and highlighted VJ Edgecombe’s talent and what James could help him unlock. He also went back a little later to explain that Jameer Nelson being part of the front office — “ex-player” — and the Mike Gansey connection. The two were high school stars in Ohio at the same time, and Paul insisted that James “absolutely” remembers Gansey, Philly’s president of basketball operations, from those days.

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LeBron James to the 76ers? Why Jaylen Brown could help lure The King to Philly
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2. Miami Heat
   The Heat’s pitch is pretty simple for Paul. It’s a strong starting lineup — Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo — plus two people that James has longstanding relationships with in Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra. As he noted numerous times as he went through teams, the existing relationships with each team matter, and aside from Cleveland — and perhaps even including Cleveland — there’s nowhere James has a great established connection and built-in trust with a coaching staff and front office than Miami, where he played from 2010-14 and won two titles.

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3. Cleveland Cavaliers
   After running through the potential starting lineup around James, Paul shouted out owner Dan Gilbert and his late son, Nick, as well as president of basketball operations Koby Altman. Paul then called assistant GM Brandon Weems the “X-factor.” Weems is “basically LeBron’s brother,” Paul said.

The negative Paul pointed out regarding the Cavaliers is that Darius Garland — a client of Paul’s Klutch Sports — is no longer there after the team moved him in the James Harden deal. “No offense to Harden, but no Garland, because he loves Garland like he loves Maxey,” Paul said, making it clear that a Klutch connection will be helpful in the recruitment of James.

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4. Denver Nuggets
   One of the favorite darkhorse teams for James doesn’t just get mentioned on the board, but got the full lineup treatment from Paul, along with Philadelphia, Miami, Cleveland and Minnesota. Paul noted that “the Kroenke family, we’re close to” as James not only respects the Kroenkes as owners but has personal relationships that go beyond the court. Kellerman asked if Denver was really in consideration, and Paul said “they wouldn’t be on the board” if they weren’t.

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5. Minnesota Timberwolves
   The Timberwolves were the team Kellerman was most excited about, for whatever that’s worth (probably nothing). Paul rattled off their starting lineup and then pointed to the respect they have for team president Tim Connelly and the new ownership in Minnesota. Paul made specific mention of Jaden McDaniels, recalling Anthony Edwards’ famous “they got KD, but we got Jaden McDaniels” quote.

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6. Dallas Mavericks
   The Mavs pitch has nothing to do with basketball. Paul pointed out four things that the Mavs bring to the table:

“In Dallas, they got oil, they got golf, you got Macau in the Sands group and then with [team president] Masai [Ujiri], you got the whole continent of Africa. A lot comes with Dallas and Masai.”

There’s no mention of Cooper Flagg or the roster, as the selling point in Dallas is entirely the business opportunities off the court.

The LeBron James pitch rankings: How 29 teams can sell themselves as NBA legend takes free agency meetings
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The LeBron James pitch rankings: How 29 teams can sell themselves as NBA legend takes free agency meetings
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7. Golden State Warriors
   The only names listed for the Warriors are Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. But as Kellerman noted, their placement on the board and how late Paul mentioned them seems odd. Kellerman says Paul is either playing four-dimensional chess by putting the Warriors on the periphery or they aren’t the frontrunners many think they are. Paul responds, “You can think whatever you think. This is my board, you decide what you want to think.”

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8. Boston Celtics
   After the Warriors, Paul pointed out Boston with “Brad [Stevens] and [Jayson] Tatum.” That’s the only mention of Boston, which makes it seem unlikely as a top choice. Still, the Celtics get a spot on the board and as Paul noted earlier, that means they have a chance.

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9. San Antonio Spurs
   For San Antonio, the board just says “Spurs” and all Paul says is, “then you’ve got the Spurs.” Again, this seems unlikely but perhaps the insinuation is that San Antonio’s pitch is as simple as the opportunity for James to play with Victor Wembanyama on the Western Conference champions.

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10. New York Knicks
    “If the Knicks hadn’t have won, there wouldn’t even be no board. He’d be going to the Knicks.”

That was perhaps the most fascinating line from Paul, and it came toward the end when they reached the Knicks’ placement on the board. James has long toyed with the idea of joining the Knicks and playing full-time in Madison Square Garden.

Apparently, had the Knicks needed one more piece to try to get over the hump, they would’ve been the choice, according to Paul. But coming off a title, they seem far less likely a destination — but again, they’re still on the board.

What does this all mean?
Trying to read the tea leaves on how Paul set up this board and made his way through it is perhaps a fool’s errand — and surely exactly what he wants us to do — but we will try our best.

Philadelphia is a legitimate threat after the Brown trade and has James’ full attention. Cleveland seems to have an edge on Miami and may be the frontrunner at this point for all the reasons you’d expect, plus the many relationships he has within that organization. Golden State’s pitch is simple, and if it comes down to “LeBron wants to play with his friends,” that’s the choice. Denver and Minnesota are legitimately intriguing options from a basketball perspective, but the Kroenke relationship seems to be a separator between those two.

Dallas would be a straight-up cash grab, but not in the traditional sense of getting the biggest contract. New York will once again be told how it was almost the choice for James, but this time, Knicks fans won’t care because they just won a title. The Celtics and Spurs get mentioned, but don’t seem to be under serious consideration.

The Los Angeles Lakers continued their busy summer Friday when they agreed to trade Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks, according to ESPN. Rather than keep Ayton as a backup to Walker Kessler, the Lakers decided to move him and will look for another big man on the free-agent market.

Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in 2018, played 72 games in his lone season with the Lakers, all as a starter, and averaged 12.5 points, eight rebounds and a block on 67.1% shooting. He will now join his third team in the last three seasons, and his fourth team overall. Ayton is the seventh No. 1 pick to be traded multiple times this century, per CBS Sports’ research department.

Now that the deal is complete, let’s grade it for both teams:

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Los Angeles Lakers: B
The Lakers signed Ayton to a two-year, $16.2 million deal last summer with the hope that they could tap into the talent that made him the first pick less than a decade ago, and a key figure on the Phoenix Suns’ Finals team in 2021. But while Ayton had a solid season, he became frustrated with his role at times and the team did not view him as a long-term starter.

“I think he’s frustrated. He doesn’t feel like he’s getting the ball.” – JJ Redick on Deandre Ayton’s recent performances. Redick said that it’s “human nature” for Ayton’s rebounding production to dip if he doesn’t feel involved. Said LAL will work to get Ayton early touches. pic.twitter.com/lLOr7KZqqb

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 3, 2026
The second year of Ayton’s deal included a player option, which he picked up on June 29. When the Lakers added Kessler from the Utah Jazz in exchange for two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps a few days later, the writing was on the wall for Ayton. Now, he is off to D.C.

The Lakers will now scour the free-agent market to find a backup center with Andre Drummond, Jonas Valanciunas and Kevon Looney all mentioned as possible candidates by ESPN. All three would be cheaper than Ayton and more willing to play a backup role behind Kessler.

Hardy, a second-round pick in 2022, has struggled to earn consistent playing time early in his career, but has had some impressive stretches as a scorer and is a career 38.6% shooter from 3-point range. In 23 games with the Wizards last season, he averaged 12.6 points. Still only 23 years old, he’s well worth a flyer for the Lakers, who have plenty of questions about their depth around Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Kessler.

The second-round picks may not amount to anything, but it’s never a bad thing to have more chances in the draft.

All told, this was a good bit of business by the Lakers, flipping a player they signed to a cheap contract and no longer needed into three positive assets.

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Washington Wizards: B
The Wizards have not won 20 games in a season since 2023, haven’t been to the playoffs since 2021 and haven’t won a playoff series since 2017. Their moves over the last year have made it clear they hope to change that in the very near future.

Last season, they traded for Trae Young — and then signed to a four-year $212 million contract extension — and Anthony Davis, and last month they selected AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick. Now, they’ve added Ayton, another former top pick. Of the last 15 No. 1 picks, three are now on the Wizards. Add in an array of recent first-round picks, including Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington and Will Riley, and the Wizards suddenly have a pretty competitive roster if everyone can stay healthy.

Is Ayton the player everyone expected him to be coming out of college? No, but last season was the first time in his career he failed to average a double-double, and he nearly did so anyway despite playing fewer than 28 minutes per game. He’s one of the biggest players in the league and a highly efficient finisher around the basket. The Wizards’ front office and coaching staff may have to cajole him at times, but if he’s your third big, that’s pretty good.

Hardy had some nice moments toward the end of last season, but he was going to be the fourth or fifth guard on the depth chart to start the season, and the Wizards own a significant number of future picks, so using two of them to acquire a productive veteran isn’t a big deal on their end.

When LeBron James joined the Miami Heat in 2010, he brought Chris Bosh with him to a team that already had Dwyane Wade. In 2014, his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers was swiftly followed by a blockbuster trade for Kevin Love. He was willing to be a bit more patient with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. It took them a whole year to acquire Anthony Davis, with whom he happened to share an agent.

For most of his career, teams have been willing and even eager to move heaven and Earth in order to employ James. In all three cases, it was worth it. Each of those teams won championships. James in his prime was so singularly valuable that you could argue that a team should be willing to do anything in order to convince him to play for them.

James, now 41 and entering his 24th NBA season, isn’t that good anymore. Instead of being a championship-guaranteeing force, he is merely an All-Star-caliber player in his 40s who can lift any roster, but not fully carry one. Under most circumstances, acquiring such a player is desirable, but only under responsible circumstances. You’d love to have him, but heaven and Earth can sit tight. At best, you’re moving a continent.

But James’ 2026 free agency does not represent normal circumstances. By all accounts, he is not making a decision based on money. In theory, that makes him gettable for the minimum. Even now, at this stage of his career, James at the minimum would be perhaps the greatest, immediately apparent value contract in the history of free agency.

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The Sporting News’ Stephen Noh has a salary projection model based on DARKO DPM, the all-in-one metric. Last season, it valued James at $28.2 million, and that doesn’t factor in his ability to scale up in high-leverage playoff games. His minimum salary as a 10-year veteran would be $3.9 million, but it would count against the cap only for $2.5 million, the minimum salary for a two-year veteran. NBA finances have never been tighter. A $25 million surplus on a single player in the apron era is a genuinely season-altering boon. If your goal is to win the 2027 championship, getting such a surplus is suddenly worth moving heaven and Earth again.

The Philadelphia 76ers struck first. They acquired Jaylen Brown on Wednesday, and while that move was not made specifically with James in mind, it may just get them a seat at the table. The 76ers are reportedly pursuing James now, and getting Brown probably won’t hurt their chances.

Most of the major business of the offseason is done. Brown, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard, the three biggest names believed to be available, have all moved. But the chance to lure one star player can lead to surprising moves to get another. Nobody thought Paul George was moving in 2019. Leonard’s availability compelled the Los Angeles Clippers to go all-in for him.

So with James sitting on the market, are there moves some of the interested parties can pursue to potentially entice James? Before you ask, we’re not considering Bronny James here. I’m assuming the Lakers either view him as a legitimate prospect and won’t move him. Or they don’t. In that case, acquiring him is just table stakes and is probably doable at a trivial price. We’ll start with superstars and work our way down.

Can anyone get Anthony Davis?
I know what the reporting is saying. The Washington Wizards are batting away all trade suitors. They want to keep Anthony Davis! They’re even hinting at extending him. I don’t doubt that this is indeed what they are telling the world. I absolutely doubt that they mean it.

Jaylen Brown gave his first public comments on the blockbuster trade that sent him from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers during a live stream on his Twitch channel on Thursday night. Brown, who spent 10 seasons with the Celtics, spoke for nearly an hour about his emotions and even called some of his new teammates live on the air.

“Boston packed me up. Boston, they packed me up my boy. God,” Brown said to begin his stream, before reading a statement he released on social media that thanked the city and the fans, though notably not the organization. “Boston packed me up, chat. Pack your bags, sayonara, buddy. Out of here.”

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most notable comments made by Brown on Thursday night:

‘Out of nowhere, things just kind of went left’
Brown has been the subject of trade rumors at multiple points in his career, but he felt that something was different this summer. Not only did the Celtics make him the centerpiece of their offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo (who landed with the Miami Heat), they actively shopped him around the league, according to multiple reports.

“I will say, there was definitely a message being sent, and that message was received,” Brown said. “I wasn’t thrilled with the amount of respect that was showed during this process. I think there was a bit of a lack of respect. It was fine at one point, and then out of nowhere, things just kind of went left.

“I think Brad [Stevens] is probably getting a lot of the criticism,” Brown continued. “I wasn’t thrilled with the way he facilitated some of the conversations, but I definitely think there’s more to it. There’s definitely more to it. I just wish the ‘more to it’ could have been explained to me, because if the ‘more to it’ had been explained, I think I would have understood. I thought I earned respect enough to get that explanation, but obviously I was wrong.”

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‘We gotta stop with the anonymous sources’
During the Celtics’ 2024 championship parade, Brown wore a shirt that read “state your source,” a shot at Stephen A. Smith. Last month, when ESPN’s Bobby Marks said an analytics employee of a team told him that Brown was viewed as the “seventh-best player on a team,” Brown posted “state your source” on social media.

On his stream, Brown again criticized the use of anonymous sources, which have been ubiquitous throughout this entire process.

“We got to stop with the anonymous sources. Like, I’m tired of these damn anonymous sources,” Brown said. “Anonymous executive, anonymous source. Colin Cowherd, Bobby Marks, Stephen A. Smith, anonymous sources is saying anything. I think y’all are the sources. And if not, y’all shouldn’t even say it if it’s something that’s this ridiculous.

“But we gotta stop. This is a part of the reason I started streaming in the first place. They use these anonymous sources to hide behind how they actually feel, or to hide behind things that could be controversial, or to hide behind things that are, you know, examples of bigotry.”

‘The Process is back’
The Celtics and Sixers are fierce rivals. Dating back to 1950, when the Sixers were still the Syracuse Nationals, the two teams have squared off 23 times in the playoffs. No two franchises have met more often. Most recently, of course, the Sixers came back from a 3-1 deficit to stun Brown and the Celtics in the first round and win their first playoff series against Boston since 1982.

There has been plenty of bad blood between the two franchises throughout the decades, which Brown joked he’ll now have to “reverse engineer.”

“The hard part is for the last 10 years I’ve been programmed to hate Philadelphia,” Brown said. “From the history of the rivalry, to the playoff battles, all of the above. ‘The Process.’ I’ve been programmed to be like, man, f— The Process. It’s funny, now I gotta, like, reverse engineer, you know what I mean?

‘The Process is back the f— on. We’ve been shutting The Process down for the last, I don’t know how many years. The Process has been over, but now The Process is back, motherf—er.”

Tyrese Maxey joins the stream
Just a few months ago, Brown was going to war against Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe in the playoffs. Now, they’re teammates. During his stream, Brown called both players and put them on speaker. Neither said too much, which wasn’t a surprise given the public setting, but Maxey did promise to join Brown’s stream next season.

Jaylen Brown calls VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey back on stream. Both sound excited to be working with JB.

Brown told VJ Edgecombe he’s “a fan of his game” and told Maxey “we got work to do”. pic.twitter.com/rUPaFc6nFV

— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) July 3, 2026
“Chat, what’s good chat? I ain’t gonna lie, I’m jumping on the stream this year,” Maxey said. “You know I’m locked in. Holla at me. I’m in the gym whenever.”

‘My key card got rejected’
Toward the end of his stream, Brown said that he was about to head to the gym, then admitted that he went to the Celtics’ facility after news of the trade broke and his key card was rejected.

“I’m about to go get in the gym right now. You know what I mean? Just to start building up. But hey, they packed me up, it happens,” Brown said. “I went up to the facility, my key card got rejected. Damn. I just wanted to see if it was real. They packed me up, bro. It’s crazy.”

When news broke on June 29 that Draymond Green had declined his $27.7 million player option to become, technically, a free agent, all signs pointed to LeBron James joining the Warriors. The idea was to have Green accept a new multi-year contract for less annual money with the first-year savings going into the James fund.

The dots were pretty easy to connect. James has been a Warriors target for years. They made a play for him at the 2024 deadline. In a 2022 interview, James named Stephen Curry as the current player he would most like to partner with. Green opting out was the key to making it happen. And when it was announced less than 24 hours later that James would not be returning to the Lakers, it seemed like a done deal.

Now here we are on Friday with no deal done, and with every hour that passes, it feels increasingly unlikely that James will actually end up in the Bay. ESPN’s Anthony Slater has, in fact, reported that the Warriors “have been given no indication they’re any type of front-runner” to land James. And on Thursday, James’ agent, Rich Paul, went on his podcast and outlined the pros and cons of 10 potential destinations for James on a whiteboard.

Make of this what you will, but the “Steph & Dray” Warriors are on the outskirts of Paul’s outline here:

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Game Over Podcast
The first team Paul discussed was the 76ers, noting that “everything changed” when they made the trade for Jaylen Brown on Wednesday night. It makes sense. A day earlier, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said that the way for any of these LeBron suitors to get his attention was to make a splash move to improve their roster.

Forget a splash move, the Warriors haven’t made any move for a player they didn’t already have; they’ve only re-signed Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and De’Anthony Melton. They drafted Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th pick, but a rookie isn’t going to move the needle for James.

There was wind blowing in the direction of the Warriors making a trade for Anthony Davis to lure James, but that was either never real or isn’t real anymore — at least if we’re to believe Marc Stein’s report that the Warriors don’t want to trade Jimmy Butler, as Butler’s contract would be the only viable swap for Davis’ money.

LeBron James to the 76ers? Why Jaylen Brown could help lure The King to Philly
Brad Botkin
LeBron James to the 76ers? Why Jaylen Brown could help lure The King to Philly
At this point, it’s hard to put too much stock in what anyone is saying or why they’re saying it. But for whatever it’s worth, the Warriors were the seventh of the 10 teams Paul talked about on his podcast. If that sounds like an afterthought to you, you’re not alone.

Again, this makes sense if James’ top priority is signing with the team that gives him the best chance of winning his fifth championship. The Warriors are not that. They would be fun and potentially quite competitive if everyone could stay healthy, but that’s a big “if” and there are much surer bets on the board.

The fact is, James can go to basically whatever team he wants if he’ll take minimum money. And being that money isn’t — if you believe the reporting — his main concern at this point, even the $15 million mid-level exception the Warriors could offer him (if they can get off Moses Moody’s contract) is no longer much of a competitive advantage, if any at all.

What will the Warriors do if their LeBron dream doesn’t come true?
And so here we are on July 3 with the Warriors, who put all their offseason eggs in the LeBron James basket, staring at the same roster they ended last season with while everyone else has gobbled up the bulk of available players. If nothing materializes, Slater says the Warriors’ front office is “content if they have to run it back with mostly the same roster.”

In the big picture, that’s probably the right move if the James pursuit falls through. Trading for Davis and then giving him the extension he wants would probably be irresponsible given his age and injury history. This probably isn’t a true championship-contending team — no matter what move(s) they make.

But Warriors fans don’t want to hear about probablys. They’re watching the sun set on the Curry era while the front office sits on its hands. In today’s Western Conference, if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. The presence of the Spurs and Thunder is forcing everyone with any real competitive ambition to take real risks.

LeBron James free agency: Which teams could make blockbuster moves to entice the all-time great?
Sam Quinn
LeBron James free agency: Which teams could make blockbuster moves to entice the all-time great?
That’s how LaMelo Ball ends up in Minnesota. And Ja Morant ends up in Portland. And the Lakers end up giving the Jazz two first-round picks and two swaps for the right to pay Walker Kessler $130 million. That’s what going for it looks like. The Warriors have made it pretty clear they are not going to go for it.

Short of a big name falling into their laps, like when they got Butler for Andrew Wiggins and a pick, they’re going to make the margin moves to conservatively support Curry without compromising whatever future they hope to have when he’s gone.

Again, that’s not what fans want to hear. Not after they had to sit through the failed, stubborn experiments of Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman. Not while team owner Joe Lacob, in their eyes, has been trying to prove he can build a post-Curry winner at the expense of maximizing current Curry (who is still a championship 1A player) since that 2022 title Curry all but won by accident.

Indeed, there are fair criticisms to be levied against the Warriors’ complacency during the waning stages of Curry’s career. But the bottom line is it’s not easy to build a championship roster just because you have one great player, especially not in the NBA’s current financial climate, and even more if you’re not willing to take serious risks.

That’s why Golden State is even pursuing James in the first place. Because at this stage of his career, there’s no risk. He doesn’t need max money anymore. He isn’t going to cost future draft capital. If it were to happen under these circumstances, it would be a dream.

For a minute, it looked like it was going to come true. And maybe it still will. But if not, the Warriors are going to have a hard time salvaging this summer, and fans are going to have a hard time forgiving them for another swing and miss as Curry moves one year closer to the end without a realistic shot at the championship that he is still capable of delivering.