Michael Jordan ended his career with the Washington Wizards, Tom Brady exited as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, and Willie Mays took his final swing as a New York Met.

After 23 seasons in the NBA, including 11 with Cleveland, 4 with Miami, and 8 with the Lakers, no one will be surprised to see LeBron James in a new uniform.

But the question is which uniform?

Credit via Instagram

If you’re into the Ring Chasing Theory, the most obvious landing spots for LeBron look to be the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, or Oklahoma City Thunder.

LeBron in Madison Square Garden sounds good, but it’s unlikely that the Knicks would want to mess with their chemistry, even if they had any money to spend, which they don’t.

Oklahoma City has too good a thing going with their youth movement, and while San Antonio could use LeBron’s experience, I assume the team wants to hand the ball over to Dylan Harper (20), instead of LeBron (42), moving forward.

How about other possible contenders?

The Detroit Pistons look promising, but only if the team re-signs Jalen Duran, meaning that LeBron would have to reduce his $52 million salary down to the veteran minimum of $3.9 million, or roughly $500k less than rookie Ebuka Okorie will make.

Lebron is a Free Agent, but he’s not that free.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been rumored, but they too are over the salary cap. Besides, the winters are too cold, the wine is too frozen, and with LeMelo Ball already there, the ball is too sticky.

And I’m not sure the Denver Nuggets make sense either. LeBron with Jokic would be fun, but that butt-whooping in the playoffs showed that Denver has to get younger, faster, and defend better. And LeBron’s not getting any younger, or defending for just $3.9 million.

LeBron averaged 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists last season on 52% shooting. He’s had 22 All-Star appearances, made 21 All-NBA Teams, and has 4 rings. Do you really think he’s going to take a $48 million dollar pay cut and make less than Luka Garza in Boston, Sam Merrill in Cleveland, or Anfernee Simons in Philly?

Or maybe we are thinking about this all wrong.

LeBron is from Akron, Ohio, but his other two stops have been Miami and Los Angeles. Big cities with warm weather, bright lights, and endless opportunity.

Credit via TikTok

The Golden State Warriors make perfect sense. LeBron, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, Steve Kerr, fine wine, and Silicon Valley. LeBron golfs with Steph, visits Napa, invests in Tech start-ups. But even if LeBron gets the mid-level exception money of $15 million, the team only went 37-45 last year, and he’ll be making Moses Moody money.

Miami has South Beach, and golf courses, Giannis and Bam, warm weather and tax breaks. But the Heat weren’t much better at 43-39. And if you think Moses Moody Money is bad. LeBron would be playing for Simone Fontecchio money with zero bench help.

Credit via Instagram

The reality is that the last NBA superstar to sacrifice making less money for a chance at a ring was Karl Malone, when he decided to leave Utah to play for the Lakers for the veteran minimum back in 2003.

This is not 2003.

The biggest financial sacrifices of the last five years have been Jalen Brunson taking less money to help out the New York Knicks, and James Harden taking less money to help out the Philadelphia 76ers. Both still made over $33 million-a-year on long-term deals.

So, show me the money.

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The Los Angeles Clippers could offer LeBron close to $30 million-a-year by waving Kris Dunn, Lebron would fill the arena, not have to relocate, and Steve Ballmer could always do another “Aspirational” deal to find Lebron a few more dollars. LeBron, Darius Garland, Keaton Wagler, Brandon Ingram, Rui Hachimura, and a spot for Bronny. Not that great, but certainly entertaining.

But the obvious answer to where LeBron will play next season is the Brooklyn Nets.

LeBron is a valuable asset to those that need leadership, those that need talent, and those that need fans. The Brooklyn Nets need all three.

The Brooklyn Nets, with recent draft picks that include Mikel Brown Jr, Joshua Jefferson, Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, and Danny Wolf, have a youth movement going on, with no movement!

LeBron is a businessman, and will be looking for more than $30 million-a-year (Walker Kessler money), and possibly a 2-year deal. Brooklyn can give that to him.

Brooklyn also has the assets to trade for a big name (like Anthony Davis), and those rookies need at least two years to develop.

The New York Knicks have practically made the Brooklyn Nets irrelevant. LeBron changes that, at least temporarily.

LeBron could take advantage of the New York Market visibility, one of the largest in the world.

Brooklyn has Jay-Z, Adam Sandler, and plenty of room for Bronny.

Considering that Brooklyn’s current face-of-the-franchise is Julius Randle, I’m guessing Lebron cracks the starting lineup.

In OKC, Lebron is probably coming off the bench. In San Antonio, LeBron could be waving a towel. But in Brooklyn? Lebron will easily be your best player for the next 3-5 years.

Veteran minimum? Mid-level exception?

I don’t think so.

Emmitt Smith finished his career as an Arizona Cardinal, Hakeem Olajuwon retired as a Toronto Raptor, and Shaquille O’Neal’s last played for the Celtics.

I believe it was the Beastie Boys that said…

Don’t sleep on Brooklyn.

Images via instagram, Basketball Jersey Archive, wikipedia, tiktok

Alan Tapley Colorado Sports & Culture Writer

Alan Tapley is an educator, author, and blogger who has lived just outside of Boulder for the last twenty years. His published work includes two novels, two children’s books, a series of cartoons in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and multiple sports related articles. His love for family and the state of Colorado is only matched by one thing, his passion for sports.  The first baseball game he ever attended was at Wrigley Field, before there were lights.  At the final Bronco game at the old Mile High, he allegedly cut out a piece of his seat in the South stands.  But regardless of being here for the Avalanche’s last Stanley Cup, the Rockies only World Series appearance, and all the Broncos’ Super Bowl Victories, his wife never fails to remind him that he wasn’t at the University of Colorado in 1990, like she was.  The year the Buffs football team won the National Championship