The Minnesota Timberwolves have had a busy offseason, but things could get very loud if they can lure LeBron James in free agency. James told the Los Angeles Lakers he would not return to the team back on July 1, and while the Timberwolves have reportedly “ramped up” their pursuit, the response so far has been crickets.
James’ agent. Rich Paul told Mike Medina of Forbes that he didn’t expect James to make a decision “anytime soon,” and with 10 teams reportedly in the mix, that waiting game could lead to the Timberwolves losing the battle.
But The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski noted that no news could be good news, and the longer it drags out, the better the chance James could wind up in Minnesota.
“I think the more time that goes by in this situation, I think each organization probably feels a bit pessimistic about it,” Krawczynski said on Wednesday’s episode of The Jon Krawczynski Show. “But I would say…if I’m looking at this through a logical lens, I think the longer that this drags out, the better the Timberwolves’ chances become.
“Because if you think about what LeBron has to process and has to consider, it is fair to say, of all the teams left, Minnesota is probably the most surprising one. …You look at it, and say, Okay, I either want this or I don’t want this. With the Wolves, there’s a lot more unknowns for LeBron. He probably has to think about is the entire team ready? Do I want to live there in the winter? What do I know about Chris Finch? What do I know about Tim Connelly? All of these things. There’s a lot more for him to kind of mull over."
“And so, could I see a scenario where he keeps looking at what he wants, and he keeps seeing that the Wolves check a lot of those boxes, and he’s just thinking, shoot, like maybe it is the Wolves?”
The longer LeBron James waits, the better chance he could join the Timberwolves
The Timberwolves may not have the best pitch from a lifestyle standpoint, but they have the most intriguing one from a basketball standpoint. Minnesota needs a power forward, and it has the supporting cast that could help James play at his best even as he’s set to turn 42 in December.
Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball make up a high-octane backcourt that takes some of the pressure off him offensively. The Timberwolves also have Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels to ease the burden off James on the defensive end. With Chris Finch as head coach, Tim Connelly as the president of basketball operations, and an aggressive ownership group led by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, there’s a lot for James to mull over.
The bad news is that’s true with the other teams pursuing James. The Cleveland Cavaliers would fulfill James’ musings about finishing his career less than an hour from his hometown of Akron and also have Donovan Mitchell and James Harden as available running mates.
The Miami Heat are also in the running for a reunion tour with James after acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But to Krawczynski’s point, if James wanted to run it back with the Heat or go home, there’s a chance he already would have made that choice. If anything, James may be deliberate instead of immediately shutting down the Timberwolves, and that could be a good thing as the saga drags on.
Krawczynski noted he doesn’t have intel to prove this is the case. But it’s an interesting point that should keep the door open for James to emerge from the shadows and land in Minnesota.
Until he signs on the dotted line, James’s landing spot remains a mystery, and if it continues, it might just be enough for the Wolves to come away as the surprising winner.
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