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Where will LeBron James play next? Rich Paul reveals his whiteboard

Rich Paul has revealed the whiteboard tracking LeBron James’ potential landing spots. Cleveland assistant GM Brandon Weems plays a key role, while a surprising revelation about the New York Knicks has added even more intrigue to the NBA offseason

Domenico Borracci 4 july 2026 - 08:33

Agent Rich Paul has pulled back the curtain on one of the biggest mysteries of the NBA offseason: the future of LeBron James. Speaking on his Game Over podcast, Paul revealed that he literally keeps a whiteboard listing his client’s potential destinations, separating realistic options from more speculative possibilities.

The leading contenders

According to Paul, the teams at the top of the board are the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, and Cleveland Cavaliers. For those franchises, he admitted he has even sketched out hypothetical starting lineups featuring LeBron, showing that the evaluation goes well beyond simple speculation.

The Dark Horses: Warriors, Mavericks, Celtics, Spurs, and Knicks

Also featured on the board – but in a secondary tier – are the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks. Paul offered an interesting explanation regarding Dallas, saying their inclusion is driven more by off-court factors than by basketball considerations.

Rich Paul on the Positives and Negative of LeBron going back to Cleveland 👀

Positives: Big X factor, Brandon Weems. Brandon Weems is basically LeBron’s brother… That is a big feather in the cap

Negative: The negative is, no knock to Harden, but no Garland. He loves Garland… pic.twitter.com/RZo0UwApCk
— Heat Central (@TheHeatCentral) July 3, 2026

The Brandon Weems factor in Cleveland

When discussing the Cavaliers, Paul highlighted an unexpected name: assistant general manager Brandon Weems, calling him a major X-factor in any potential deal. His comments underscored the close personal relationship between the two.

He’s basically LeBron’s brother
Rich Paul

One notable omission, however, was Darius Garland, whose absence from Paul’s projected Cavaliers lineup raised eyebrows. Paul acknowledged the issue, adding that “LeBron loves Garland as much as he loves Maxey“.

The bomb about the Knicks

Perhaps the most surprising revelation involved New York. According to Paul, if the Knicks hadn’t enjoyed their recent playoff success, there wouldn’t even be a whiteboard to discuss.

If the Knicks hadn’t won, there wouldn’t be any whiteboard. He’d already be a Knicks
Rich Paul

Nearly every team has reached out

To wrap up the discussion, Paul revealed that virtually every NBA franchise has explored the possibility of acquiring LeBron James, saying that “all but one or two teams” have reached out – while leaving everyone guessing which organizations chose not to make a call.