Pessimistic update on possible LeBron James, Anthony Davis reunion

With the basketball world still waiting for LeBron James to choose a team in free agency, there is no shortage of rumors and speculation about which way he may be leaning at this point.

Rich Paul, his longtime agent and close friend, said this week that the two are “not going to be rushed.” According to one rumor, the Golden State Warriors, who have been very motivated to land James, have been trying to trade for Anthony Davis in order to lure James. Davis, of course, teamed with James to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA championship in 2020.

According to one source, Klutch Sports Group, the agency Paul is the CEO of, has been trying to orchestrate a trade that would send Davis to the Warriors or the Cleveland Cavaliers, but such a trade seems very unlikely. Therefore, according to that source, the Miami Heat are the frontrunners to end up with the four-time MVP.

“Klutch is trying to get AD to Cleveland or Golden State,” a source told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Neither team wants to do it. Miami is the frontrunner now. Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and Bam [Adebayo] have been in LeBron’s ear nonstop.”

One possible impediment seems to be Davis’ contract, which will pay him $58.46 million this coming season. Davis, 33, has seen his production drop ever since the Lakers traded him to the Dallas Mavericks in February 2025 for Luka Doncic, and he has played in just 29 games while averaging 20.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks a game since that trade.

The Mavericks sent Davis to the Washington Wizards in February of this year. The Wizards reportedly haven’t been interested in moving him.

“Klutch Sports Group, led by Rich Paul, thought it would be ‘super easy’ to get the Cavaliers or Warriors to trade for Davis, sources said,” wrote Ashish Mathur. “Since that’s not the case, the Heat have emerged as the leader to sign James since Miami doesn’t have to trade for Davis. The team already has Antetokounmpo and Adebayo and strong role players in Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, Bobby Portis and Tim Hardaway Jr.”

James, of course, spent four seasons with the Heat in the early 2010s and took them to the NBA Finals four straight times and back-to-back world titles. He could fill their current needs for playmaking, a floor general and another major scoring threat, and team president Pat Riley has let go of the hard feelings he had when the superstar left in 2014.

“Clearly, Riles thinks it’s possible (LeBron goes to Miami) for him to be on podcasts discussing it,” a source told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Haven’t seen Riles talk publicly in a long time. Usually it’s like once after the season.”

The Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves are also considered to be in the running for the services of the NBA’s all-time leading career scorer.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Pessimistic update on possible LeBron James, Anthony Davis reunion