New LeBron Rumors on Cavs, Warriors, Heat, 76ers, Nuggets, T-Wolves 1 Week After Lakers Decision

The future of LeBron James remains very much in question after his decision to depart the Los Angeles Lakers, leaving a number of contenders in a state of free-agent limbo while he ponders where he'll finish his career.

Sam Amick, Joe Vardon, Tony Jones, Jon Krawczynski, James Jackson and Nick Friedell of The Athletic chronicled where a number of those teams stand in a recent article.

Per that report, "Cleveland has one or two roster moves to make to be able to pay James $15 million next season instead—unloading Max Strus and Dennis Schröder—but hasn't done either yet. I am told they, like other teams pursuing James, are in a holding pattern."

The appeal of Cleveland, obviously, is James finishing his career where he started. He'd slide in naturally as the team's starting point guard, though it would be a lot of cooks in the kitchen.

In the Bay Area, "The initial hope within the Warriors organization and its fan base that James would come to the Bay after making his announcement seems to have faded a bit in recent days, but nobody seems to know exactly what's going on. It's all a waiting game, and the Warriors' front office is willing to wait and see what he decides."

Pairing LeBron with Steph Curry, the other iconic superstar of his generation and a longtime rival, would be both weird and fun to watch. The issue is that even with James, the aging Warriors probably wouldn't be true contenders.

A second go in Miami would be interesting, especially after the acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo, "though it seems at this point that Miami isn't one of the front-runners."

The Philadelphia 76ers could offer James a legitimate chance at contention and his playmaking would be a welcome addition. But like the Cavs it would be a lot of cooks in the kitchen, and the Sixers also could only offer a veteran minimum.

As for the Denver Nuggets, "Team sources say they truly believe they're still in it, though they also admit that they're as in the dark about what might happen next as everyone else. Or close to it, anyway."

In Denver, pairing James with three-time MVP Nikola Jokić would be Basketball IQ heaven, though whether he'd pick an entirely new franchise as his next destination—or take the veteran's minimum deal ($3.9 million)—remains unclear.

Unlike the Warriors or Heat, the Timberwolves have a younger roster that may be just one piece away from contending.

Per The Athletic, "The Timberwolves know they have the coldest winter on this list. They also believe they have the best basketball fit for James. That's the message they have delivered to LeBron's camp over the last week, saying that their young and very talented team still has a hole at power forward and a need for James' superior basketball intellect, playmaking ability and battle-tested voice in the locker room."

And so we wait.