Three days after LeBron James informed the Los Angeles Lakers he will be continuing his career elsewhere, his agent, Rich Paul, made two things abundantly clear: His client has options, and the hype around his decision is only beginning.
Paul, on an episode of his "Game Over" podcast with Max Kellerman released Friday, used a whiteboard and pointer to illustrate a bevy of teams that James could join and weighed the pluses and minuses of each situation.
The purpose of the exercise, Paul told ESPN on Friday, was to help fans understand James' process and the many layers he has to consider with every team that expresses interest.
On a previous appearance on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show," Paul said "10 to 12 teams" had already contacted him about James, and on the whiteboard, Paul seemingly referenced every one of them.
Paul told ESPN on Friday that he has now spoken to 27 teams about James and that the factors the veteran has to think about are fluid -- such as the Philadelphia 76ers trading for Jaylen Brown, for instance.
"Every day things change," Paul told ESPN. "This is the first time that LeBron James is making a decision pressure-free. He's won already. He's made good on his promise -- he won in L.A. This is strictly for his happiness. What does happiness entail? It's a number of things. It's a bucket of happiness. It's basketball, it's living, it's camaraderie, it's competition. It's everything."
The Klutch Sports CEO included 10 teams on the board during the podcast: Philadelphia, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs.
The first team Paul discussed was the 76ers.
"Philadelphia, everything changed," Paul said. "How could you not have [his] attention when you have [Tyrese] Maxey, [V.J.] Edgecombe, Brown and [Joel] Embiid?
"He loves Maxey, so we don't even have to talk about that. I think V.J., he helps V.J. understand really how to play the game.
"Obviously, Jaylen Brown," he said. "Embiid is health and habits. The health and habits of Embiid are there.
"[James] enhances everything there. He unlocks everything there."
Maxey is a Klutch client and has worked out with James in the summer for the past several years. James endorsed Brown for MVP last year when he was leading the Celtics with Jayson Tatum sidelined with his Achilles injury, while James and Embiid teamed up for a gold medal together at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Paul added that an "X factor" for Philadelphia is its front office featuring executive vice president of basketball operations Jameer Nelson -- who was a contemporary of James, playing together on the All-Star team and against one another in the playoffs -- and president of basketball operations Mike Gansey -- who played against James in high school and was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers' front office during James' second stint with the franchise. Paul also said he and James "love" the Sixers' leadership, including managing partner Josh Harris and former Warriors GM Bob Myers. While Paul played up Philadelphia's chances, he all but eliminated the Knicks as a destination.
"It's difficult, because the last thing you want to do is mess up something like that," Paul said. "The Knicks have a good thing going. If the Knicks hadn't had won, this wouldn't even [be a question]. There would be no board. He'd be going to the Knicks."
Paul explained that the potential fallout if the Knicks didn't repeat with James on the roster would be too big of a risk.
"LeBron's always judged different," he said. "That's a very fragile thing, and he's been a part of championship teams."
Cleveland, which Paul referred to as "the C-town," was also discussed in depth.
"[Donovan] Mitchell, [James] Harden, [Evan] Mobley, [Jarrett] Allen. Dan and Grant -- which is the Gilberts. Plus Koby [Altman], he was there when LeBron won there," Paul said. "Big, big, big X factor, let me talk to you about Brandon Weems," who is the Cavs' assistant GM under the president of basketball operations, Altman, and was a childhood friend and James' high school teammate.
"Brandon Weems is basically LeBron's brother," Paul said. "Now, he worked his own way [up], nobody gave him anything. He's earned to be in the front office of the Cavs.
"But that is a big feather in the cap [for Cleveland], because of Brandon Weems."
Paul added that the Cavs would have been even more appealing had the roster still featured fellow Klutch client Darius Garland, who was traded to the LA Clippers for Harden last season. "This is no offense to Harden," Paul said. "Because he loves Garland like he loves Maxey."
After outlining the characters in play in Denver, including three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, fellow Klutch clients Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson and the Kroenke family ownership, "which we're close to," Paul was asked by Kellerman if the Nuggets were a realistic choice. "It wouldn't be on the board [if it wasn't a legitimate option]," Paul replied.
For Miami, Paul rattled through the top players, including the newly acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo, and mentioned team president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra, who were with the franchise when James led the Heat to four straight Finals appearances and two titles from 2010 to '14.
He cited the roster, led by Anthony Edwards, as well as the front office and ownership group in Minnesota.
For Dallas, Paul focused solely on the off-court opportunities the Mavs would provide.
"They got oil, they got golf, you got Macau and the Sands Group and with Masai [Ujiri], you got the whole continent of Africa," Paul said of the new Dallas president and the ownership group that has casinos in Las Vegas and China. "A lot comes with Dallas and Masai."
He also briefly referenced Boston and San Antonio; sources told ESPN that the Spurs are not considered a potential team that James will join.
And Paul, of course, discussed the Warriors, the first team to pop up as a contender in the James sweepstakes before he had even informed the Lakers he was leaving. Draymond Green opted out of his contract for next season to restructure his deal to give the team greater flexibility to make a real run at landing the league's all-time leading scorer.
"You see Steph [Curry] and Dray," Paul said. "Don't forget about Steph and Dray."
Paul told ESPN that James has been contacted by countless players on the teams discussed, just as Paul has been in touch with the team executives and owners.
James' decision is not expected to come quickly, either, as all his options -- and the variables attached to each team -- are mulled over.
"As you're going through this process, I'm saying to LeBron, 'You really have to think this through,'" Paul said on his podcast. "Everything looks great in July. Everything looks great on paper. But you got to be very careful with that."
Just to have the options as a 41-year-old veteran is a feat in itself, in Paul's opinion.
"I said to LeBron, 'These calls that I'm getting a true testament to how you have respected this game,'" Paul said on his podcast. "'It's Year 24.'"