As the Denver Nuggets work on their pursuit of LeBron James, and their gameplan to retain Peyton Watson long-term, they recently received bad news on the former scenario.
Despite word getting out that the Nuggets believe they have a real shot at LeBron James in NBA free agency this summer, one prominent insider recently fired off James’ desired landing spots, without a mention of the Nuggets.
Denver Nuggets Get Brutal LeBron James Reality Check From NBA Insider
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“There’s only about a handful of teams that he’s really considering,” NBA Insider Chris Haynes reported on July 6.
“We can kind of mention those teams. The Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, the Minnesota Timberwolves. That might be it.”
All of those teams mentioned have been consistently linked to LeBron. While Denver has as well, prior reporting has made that interest seem more one-sided than mutual. Haynes’ recent statement doesn’t shine a better light on the situation from a Denver standpoint.
The LeBron James Pursuit
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The Nuggets should be seen as intriguing to LeBron.
Looking at the list of target teams above, the Nuggets are the team with the most recent championship under their belt.
They have a consistent MVP candidate in the veteran center Nikola Jokic, and have an All-Star guard in the veteran Jamal Murray.
While the Nuggets could be looking to make some notable changes due to financial reasons, the core group is strong.
Yet, the James pursuit comes down to which team can impress the messenger the most. The messenger being James’ agent, Rich Paul.
According to Chris Haynes, LeBron isn’t expected to take any formal meetings with teams. He’ll hear from his agent, based on conversations from the start of NBA free agency last week.
The Nuggets shouldn’t be counted out until LeBron officially signs with another team, but they could be fading from the race one week in.