LeBron James' free agency is going to be the biggest story of the summer.
The Lakers star has a $51.4 million player option that he has been noncommittal about all season. If he opts into his deal, he will return to Los Angeles on a one-year contract. If he declines it, Pandora's box opens up — he becomes an unrestricted free agent, free to sign anywhere.
Let's be clear: James' most likely path leads right back into a bigger deal in L.A. He loves the city and the Lakers have a good team. But there are some other options that could check off the boxes that he's looking for.
Chief among them are the Thunder, who have positioned themselves to make a compelling offer to James.
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Why LeBron James and the Thunder are a perfect match
OKC could allow LeBron to play with his son Bronny
James has stated numerous times that he wants to play with his son Bronny at the end of his career.
"I was serious, and I'm still serious about it," he told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne last year.
James has continued to beat that drum. Earlier in the season, he joked on his Instagram that he would be moving to Atlanta when ESPN had the Hawks mocked to take Bronny. He has seemingly walked that back a bit lately, but the desire remains.
His agent Rich Paul told ESPN that "LeBron wants Bronny to be his own man" but also added that LeBron would be "head over heels excited if that were to happen organically."
Bronny has entered his name in the draft, but it remains to be seen if he returns to college for his sophomore season. If he stays in, then the Thunder have a few different avenues to get him. They have the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, which would be way too high of a reach. While they don't own a second-round pick this year, they have 19 (!!!) future second-round picks that they could easily package to trade into it.
Paul told ESPN that he doesn't value Bronny "getting into the lottery as much as I do getting him on the right team in the right developmental situation." The Thunder clearly represent one of those spots. Their developmental staff is well-respected in the league, and they've produced plenty of hits.
While Oklahoma City is the polar opposite of Los Angeles as a place of residence, the fit from a career perspective would be good for both father and son.
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OKC is one of the few teams with the right mix of assets to get LeBron
James may be an unrestricted free agent, but his destinations are still going to be limited. He's going to command a salary that starts north of $50 million. The only teams with enough outright cap space to offer him that type of deal are the Pistons and Sixers.
The Thunder do have an estimated $35 million in cap space, with the potential to get up to $50-plus million pretty easily. They'd have to move on from Lu Dort to get to that number.
There are also ways to keep Dort while still getting James. One option would be to do an uneven-salary sign-and-trade with the Lakers. The Thunder's cap space allows them to pull off this type of move without being restricted by the dollar-for-dollar trade rules in most situations.
A sign-and-trade could involve Josh Giddey, a handful of OKC's other promising young prospects and a few of their draft picks (of which they have too many to count) in exchange for James. If the Lakers really are losing him, that would be the best deal possible for them to rebuild on the fly. It would also get them out of the luxury tax, saving them a ton of money.
Whether via free agency or sign-and-trade, the Thunder have by far the most avenues to getting a deal with James done. If he wanted to go there, then it could easily happen.
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OKC with LeBron would be Finals favorites
James has complained about not playing with enough lasers on his teams. The Thunder would have four guys around him who all shot at least 37 percent this season in their starting lineup. And James himself has turned into a deadly 3-point shooter late in his career. There would be nowhere that defenses could send help from.
Even in his age 39 season, LeBron was still a terrific driver and finisher at the rim. He's also a dynamite post player and, of course, one of the best passers in the league. With this Thunder group, James would be undoubtedly leading a top-three offense.
James could also have someone to help take the load off him. He can still take over games, but he has to pick and choose his spots a lot more carefully now. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played at an MVP level this season and could carry most of the responsibility. A well-rested LeBron to close games out would be impossible to stop.
The defensive ability of this group would also be tremendous. James and Chet Holmgren would form a terrific frontcourt. Dort could be an on-ball stopper. Jalen Williams has been solid, and SGA has quietly turned into an All-Defensive candidate due to the havoc he wreaks as a steals magnet.
If that weren't enough, the Thunder also have one of the best coaches in the league in Mark Daigneault. James isn't an easy player to coach, but the young Thunder coach already has his respect. James raved about Daigneault on his Mind the Game podcast, noting that "he's on his sh—."
The Thunder's combination of coaching and talent would be the best in the Western Conference. If James wants to prioritize both playing with Bronny and giving himself the best chance at a fifth ring, then Oklahoma City is the place to do it.
