
As everyone, namely NBA teams, media and fans, continues waiting for LeBron James to make up his mind, a recent report suggested there's an actual basketball reason that's holding up his announcement.
According to Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports, James is waiting for one of his prospective suitors to find a way to acquire either Anthony Davis or Kyrie Irving, reuniting him with a trusted co-star he's won a championship with.
But in contrast to that report, Shams Charania, ESPN's top NBA insider, debunked that claim during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Thursday.
"My sources tell me that LeBron James, his agent Rich Paul, they're not waiting for another domino right now. They're not waiting for Anthony Davis to get traded anywhere, they're not waiting for anyone else to move around anywhere."
So if Charania's sources are correct, James is at least fine with the rosters of the teams he's strongly considered. His choice is believed to be down to either a third stop back home in Cleveland as part of a "Big Three" with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, return to Miami to join forces with Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo, team up with Steph Curry on the Warriors or create a new super squad in Philadelphia alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown.
"My sources tell me that LeBron James isn't waiting for another domino right now..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 23, 2026
They're not waiting for anybody else to move around" ~ @ShamsCharania #PMSLive https://t.co/Fk9DZW0ZAT pic.twitter.com/wqY3WNxutQ
While James may prefer having someone he's won with before alongside him in the final chapter of his career, he may understand it's unreasonable to ask any of the aforementioned teams to pull off a trade for Davis or Irving at this point. Not only is it a difficult time on the calendar to navigate a major trade, but both Davis and Irving come with serious injury concerns that may cause any organization to be worried about giving up anything of value, especially if it impacts their future plans.
No matter who or what anyone believes, the consensus seems to be James is in no rush to end the waiting game. And based on James' recent comments, it's even possible whatever decision he makes isn't his last.
James' most recent production with the Los Angeles Lakers — he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists and shot 51.5 percent from the field in 60 games during 2025-26 — certainly explains why he's still so coveted and lends credence to the belief his NBA record for total seasons played may extend beyond just one more year.
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