The Miami Heat are in hot pursuit of LeBron James in free agency. It has been a few weeks since he announced that he was not going to return to the Lakers. Yet, he still hasn’t found a new team to play for. There is still no timetable on his decision.
However, the Heat believe that they are one of the top teams that are available. Other than Miami, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Minnesota, and Golden State are the other teams still in play. However, there is still no word on which team is the sure-fire favorite.
One insider believes that Team USA dynamics with Bam Adebayo could give Miami an advantage at landing him.
GettyLos Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dribbles the ball in a game. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Insider Believes Team USA Dynamics Could Help Heat get LeBron James
While appearing on First Take, NBA insider Brian Windhorst believes that Adebayo and James’ time on Team USA could give the Heat an edge.
“I think Miami is on the board. When you go back and look at the big free-agent moves of the last 20 years, they’ve all been tied to Team USA. And I think Team USA, believe it or not, is a part of this decision where he played with Bam Adebayo and he had this re-connection with Erik Spoelstra.”
Both players played on the Olympic Team with Adebayo for multiple years. James would certainly have a great team around him in Miami in the next couple of years with both Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the squad. James returning to Miami would be a good story, as well.
Despite being 41 years old, James is still a remarkably effective player. He averaged almost 21 points last year for the Lakers. He also averaged 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists, so he can still affect the game in a positive way. Defensively, Adebayo and Antetokounmpo could help him out, too.
GettyLos Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James reacts during a game. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
Miami is Hoping to Win a Title with LeBron James
James is one of the few pieces that Miami can still add who would help the roster substantially. After trading a lot of depth away to the Bucks, they don’t have much cap room to build around Antetokounmpo. Signing him for the midlevel exception would certainly help remedy that.
The Heat are going to have to sign some minimum contracts to fill out the roster if they are not able to get James to sign. The Eastern Conference has become the deeper conference this offseason after several trades were made. It won’t be easy for Miami to be a top-six seed in the East.
James already knows what it feels like to play for the Heat and in the city of Miami. He wouldn’t need to acclimate to a new city, which is another advantage they have. However, the Heat are going to figure out how to build the team with or without him since they invested so much in Antetokounmpo.
Insider Reveals New Dynamic that Helps Heat’s Chances of Landing LeBron James