1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Where will Lebron James end up? - July 2nd, 11:25am

Episode Date: July 2, 2026

Where will Lebron James end up? - July 2nd, 11:25amAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Back to one-on-one with DP. Sponsored by the Downtown Lincoln Foundation on 93-7 the ticket. Welcome back in. It is one-on-one. Harrison Arnman and Lorbon James docuseries coming to you this upcoming NBA season. Where does he end up, though? Where is this docus series going to take place? Again, that was announced.

I think it's like Paramount. I can't remember whoever the partner is. But they are going to be having a TV crew kind of following him around this season. The question is, what city, which team he is? willing to take a minimum deal, which kind of just opens up the door for everyone. Selfishly, I've said it before Denver Nuggets. I know they're making a push to try to get him down there. I just think Yokage is usually 10 steps ahead.

I think LeBron's 10 steps ahead when they're playing the game. That just sounds like beautiful basketball to me. However, I don't know if he'd be willing to go to Denver, not the biggest market. I don't know if that's in his mind that he wants to go big market city. If it's not, he's really been big market outside Cleveland, which is the obvious reason that's where he's from. Where do you see LeBron going or do you have any hunch at all? I don't really have a hunch for where he could go.

I think that a final reunion tour in Cleveland doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I think that's when you just sign the one-day retirement contract and all good and move on. You've already been there, done that, no need to go back. They've already burned two jerseys. Don't make them burn a third. Right. I like the idea of the nuggets. if he's as healthy as they say he is,

is he really what Yokic needs out of Aaron Gordon all regular season? Not really would he alleviate some playmaking concerns for Yokic. Absolutely. They need some defense down there, more importantly, anything else. Yeah. Seeing those two guys on the floor together, I mean, he's not one supercomputer was fun. What could we do with two supercomputers?

That would really intrigue me. The wolves, I think, are probably the best pure basketball fit. I don't think they have the cap space. Yeah, I mean, Minnesota desperately needs a starting power forward. They do, but do you think him and Anthony Edwards click? I think that Lamello's playmaking with LeBron's playmaking works. And let's not forget, Anthony Edwards and LeBron were teammates on Team EOSA. That is true.

And so there's a little bit of a preexisting relationship there. I think the Gober factor and the Daniels factor covers for a lot of what Lamello, who hasn't honestly been like, again, numbers versus I test versus reputation. I think Lamello hasn't been a terrible defendant. his entire career necessarily even though he has the rep for it. Same with LeBron, but I think regular season, LeBron,

you know, if he takes some playmaking off of Anthony Edwards' plates, you get a better version of him defensively there. I think there's more in the tank for LeBron at 41 going on 42 than there is for Mike Conley, even in a starting role for LeBron. The problem is the money is just so tight for the wolves right now.

And for the Warriors, I'd ask, what's the point at this point? You know, you re-sign for Zingas, so you can't pull off the Anthony Davis deal. You already have drain. on if you add LeBron, Jimmy Butler coming back from injury. That's a lot of,

I'm personally thinking it's isn't overpriced, but that's a lot of guys you're worried about some form of injury with, you're worried a little bit about fit because you're not moving Jimmy down to the two or anything. LeBron, of all players, could make it work. But Denver's a fun basketball fit.

Minnesota's a fun basketball fit. The heat? The heat. Be a big lineup with Bam, Janus, and LeBron, but you're going to really need to get some some playmakers and some shooting would be the biggest question mark for them. I would ask if LeBron's playing point guard

or small forward. I think LeBron either needs to be a super mega gembo point guard or he's got to play the four. But Janice and Bam are pretty blocked in the four and five. If he's at the heat, he's playing point. Which, okay,

I mean, they just led the NBA and assist a couple years ago. So give it a shot, I guess. I didn't mind the fit in San Antonio, except then they went out and got Tobias Harris. I just don't think he'd go to San Antonio either. The issue for San Antonio more than anything was Pop's not around. Even if he's around, he's obviously not on the bench.

I think Pop was the selling point. I wouldn't hate him in Dallas in a mentorship role, but I don't think that that works so much anymore. I don't hate the idea of him in Houston if they want to continue to play bullyball, especially, you know, what does Van Fleet look like coming off the injury? Because LeBron plays some point down there. Does he place off the entire NBA and go to the Thunder? Again, I think they just have so many bodies in that front line.

bad fit. I don't know where he plugs in at. Again, you want him running point alongside SGA? Do you really want that? I'm not convinced about that. It doesn't seem like a great fit. I don't think the thunder a real option out there. No. The heat is the one that feels the most likely to me. I think him in Spolstra

would be good. I just don't think LeBron's I think the coaching matters for this year. Like, wherever he goes, I think he's going to be looking for a great coach as well. Your point, with no Greg Popfich down there in San Antonio, I don't really know if people want to go to that market. The heat to me is my best hunch.

I don't think he's going back to Cleveland. ESPN's write-up pros. Obviously, previous thing with the Heat was the most successful stretch of his career, obviously with the titles and the finals appearances. Same guys in Riley and Spolster are still in place. Potential basketball fit could be strong. He could use James as a prolific secondary score

and ball handler after trading Tyler Hero and losing Norman Powell. He would slide cleanly into an imposing front line alongside Ante Coupo and Addabio. Cons would Oncenti Ticumpo and James be able to get the most out of each other. style of play could be another tension point on to Tacompo is his best when he can get downhill in transition while James is more comfortable controlling games

than the half court at the stage of his career. One interesting team that we have not pointed out. We got mailman James to the Celtics. Again, it would certainly help the front line and you're probably rolling out what Pritchard, White, Tatum, LeBron, and Mitchell Robinson. Yeah.

That'd be your starting five. Intriguing. Yeah, don't hate that. Don't hate that. I think if I'm LeBron, I would probably want to go back to the East in terms of path to the finals. Do you think like going to the Lakers,

Celtics matters at all for him? Not to this point, especially with... Well, Jay was talking about this a little bit yesterday. LeBron put together a legitimate Hall of Fame career just in his eight years with the Lakers. And funny enough, the eight years that he spent in Los Angeles were the most he spent in one place consecutively

for his career. The problem, not that it's a problem, just the fact for LeBron is that I think Jay's onto something when he says, LeBron won't really feel like a Laker. You'll remember him for,

you know, being the chosen one from the hometown kid in Cleveland. You'll remember him for the decision, the villain, the Hedles in Miami. You'll remember him for the return to Cleveland

and the comeback from down 3-1 in the finals. You'll know that he went to the Lakers, but I don't, think that version of LeBron needed or had the same level of impact. You know, culturally, it doesn't resonate the same. And some of that's just by nature of the modern NBA and the modern social media cycle. Some of that is that Lakers fans are still attached to Kobe.

Yeah, we just said Thomas and Lincoln, not back to the Lakers, don't need LeBumb James losing games. Like, there's a precedence again, LeBron James, but Hoster breezy, he's on Sundays too. Yeah, the Lakers fans, there's a good portion of Lakers fans that never. put their hands around LeBron James. They might appreciate him, but not the same way as Kobe. No, it's, I think it's still pretty fair to say that's, that was Kobe's. He was the last guy to really own the city like that. Oh, without a doubt.

Yeah. Without a doubt. I mean, you go from Kareem to magic, magic to, to Shaq and Kobe, but guess who stayed? It was, it was Kobe. Yeah, but then Kobe and Powell. Kobe and Powell, but I get a couple rings. Yeah. Yeah, but it's been Kobe.

Right. And even though LeBron got the title, I don't know if it was LeBron fatigue or, I mean, I wonder how Los Angeles's relationship to LeBron is if Kobe's still around to welcome him into the fold, to, you know, teach him, coach, and mentor him. Well, they were close too, which is always interesting. Well, I don't know. That's maybe a stretch for me to say, but in the media, they seem like they got along pretty well. Yeah, no, I completely agree.

And so Kobe is more of a Laker than LeBron will ever be. but I think that's more because of Lakers fans than anything LeBron did or didn't do. Also, Rob Blanca bearsome playing for that as well. Did not exactly optimize that team around LeBron or Luca or Luca and LeBron. Well, that's actually a good breaking off point. Let's talk about the new Lakers. Some nicknames around those Lakers and the group that they got. Interesting roster, we can kind of break that one down and say,

what do the Lakers even look like next year with no LeBron James coming back? All right. So don't go anywhere. This is one-on-one. We got Austin-Ohr, Arnman, Harrison, I'll think you talked to in a bit.