LeBron James made a mistake by leaving Pistons off his whiteboard list
· Yahoo Sports
It looks like LeBron James will not be joining the Detroit Pistons.
But is that a mistake?
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LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul, the CEO of Klutch Sports Group, discussed his biggest client's free agency after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers on a new episode of his podcast, "Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul," released Friday, July 3.
In the episode, Paul broke out an old-school whiteboard to break down James' free agency options, which have expanded like crazy since recent reports from ESPN's Shams Charania that the decision won't be "financially driven."
What's that mean? Teams don't necessarily have to worry about salary cap restrictions when recruiting James.
So at a lower salary, there will be a lot of suitors for one of the two greatest players in NBA history who showed last postseason he can still deliver on the highest stage.
There were 10 teams on the list Paul shared.
The Pistons were not one of them.
10 Potential LeBron James Destinations:
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) July 3, 2026
Cleveland Cavaliers
Boston Celtics
Miami Heat
New York Knicks
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Philadelphia 76ers
San Antonio Spurs
Minnesota Timberwolves
Golden State Warriors@KlutchSports CEO @RichPaul4 went through the all of the… pic.twitter.com/Uo00rR9jLt
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors made the cut.
But not the Pistons, despite reported interest from the team.
LeBron in Detroit seems unrealistic and probably still is, but from strictly a basketball standpoint, it makes so much sense.
Last year in the playoffs, the Pistons time and time again found themselves in need of someone else able to handle the ball besides Cade Cunningham as the Orlando Magic and Cavaliers focused in on the Pistons' MVP candidate.
Even at 41, James still has remarkable athleticism, especially in quick spurts, and would be more than capable of picking apart the defense with his playmaking if teams decide to double Cunningham or take the ball out of his hands.
He would also provide a scoring boost for the Pistons over Tobias Harris, who was the team's starting power forward last year before signing with the Spurs. Harris was often the Pistons' second best perimeter scorer in key spots alongside Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson and Duncan Robinson, but he averaged just 13.3 points per game last regular season compared to James' 20.9, even as the third option behind Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić.
Adding James would also push new signing John Collins to the bench, providing more depth and athleticism to that unit.
Lastly, for a Pistons squad that got blasted by the Cavaliers, 125-94, in Game 7 of the second round, James would add a maturity and experience level that the group lacked last year.
James is a four-time NBA champion, the all-time leading scorer in both the regular season and playoffs and has accomplished just about everything an individual player can.
How valuable would that be next to a young core of Cunningham, Duren and Thompson still trying to do it for the first time?
Seeing James in a Pistons jersey feels like a pipe dream, but if it's purely a basketball decision, it really shouldn't be.
Andrew Birkle is an assistant sports editor for the Free Press. Contact him via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: LeBron James made a mistake by leaving Pistons off his whiteboard list
