McMenamin: LeBron James is 'truly getting much closer to a decision'

[ASFN Admin]

When will LeBron James officially decide which NBA team he will play for this upcoming season? That is the question many have been asking for many days now, and over two weeks into the league's official free agency period, there is still no answer.

There have been all sorts of speculation about which team he may choose in free agency and when he will make his decision known to the public. James was at Fanatics Fest in New York City on Thursday and Friday for live recordings of his "Mind the Game" podcast and his show "The Shop," and he simply said there is no announcement to be made yet.

But there is now an indication that the superstar is nearing the point where he will make some sort of announcement. Dave McMenamin of ESPN said that James "is truly getting much closer to a decision" and that he is leaning toward joining an Eastern Conference team.

“Multiple sources familiar with his thinking told me, within the last 24 hours, that he is truly getting much closer to a decision….in the conversations that I’ve had in the last 24 hours in New York City, it seems like an Eastern Conference team will win the LeBron James sweepstakes. That’s not saying that he has told Minnesota they’re out or Golden State that they’re out, but if it’s about trying to play competitive basketball and possibly add a fifth championship…you’re gonna have a better pathway with either Cleveland, Miami or Philly."

McMenamin also gave a possible timetable for an official decision.

"Honestly, I think it could come as early as late this weekend, early next week. Maybe Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, somewhere in that range…but we’re not waiting for one of these contenders to make a last-minute trade or something like that to push him over the edge. He knows every situation and it’ll come down to his gut feel.”

In terms of purely having his best shot at another NBA championship, the Philadelphia 76ers are thought to be James' best choice, although he would have to make major sacrifices on the offensive end to play alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown. The Miami Heat would offer him the opportunity to play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the feeling seems to be that Miami would still need one or two more complementary players afterward to truly make a run at the title.

Of course, James spent 11 total seasons over two stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They're coming off a trip to the Eastern Conference finals, but there is skepticism that James would put them over the top.

The future Hall of Famer will turn 42 years of age this December and will start his 24th NBA season this fall. He just completed an eight-year stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, during which he averaged 25.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.9 assists a game and led them to the world championship in 2020.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: McMenamin: LeBron James is 'truly getting much closer to a decision'

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