Rich Paul Says LeBron James Would 'Be Going to the Knicks' If They Hadn't Won NBA Title

It's rare that being too good works against a team that might be trying to attract free agents, but that is the case for the New York Knicks as it pertains to LeBron James in his quest for a new home.

On the latest episode of the Game Over podcast (starts at 29:35 mark), James' longtime agent, Rich Paul, said the future Hall of Famer would "be going to the Knicks" if they hadn't just won an NBA championship.

Later in the episode (at the 31:30 mark), Paul explained that because of the gravity that comes with having James on a team due to the amount of attention he receives, they would also need assurances from the Knicks' best player that it wouldn't be a problem if he were to sign with New York:

"When LeBron comes onto your team — I don't care if you just won a championship, I don't care if you're the best player — it's different, man. His enterprise value and what he just carries is different. (Knicks head coach) Mike Brown knows this. ... Jalen Brunson would literally have to pick up the phone and say, 'Hey man, it's no issue with me. It's no issue with me.'"

Paul also confirmed Knicks officials have touched base to "check in" and at least gauge James' interest, but he also wants to respect what they have built because it's "Brunson's show" in New York right now.

It was perhaps notable that Paul didn't dismiss the possibility of the Knicks as a landing spot for James. They just might be lower on the totem pole than some of the other suitors because of their recent success.

Knicks governor James Dolan has made it clear he will never spend into the second apron. One of the reasons they lost Mitchell Robinson to the Boston Celtics in free agency is because of the financial concerns with paying him.

Money may not be as big of an issue regarding James, whose main priority this offseason is reportedly finding a situation that makes him happy more than maximizing his earnings potential.

The Knicks are $20.7 million under the second apron, so in theory they could try to see if James would take a very low-cost deal to join the fun of playing for the defending champs.

It just sounds like the Knicks' chances would have been stronger if they hadn't just turned in one of the best playoff runs in NBA history, culminating with ending their 53-year title drought.