Why the Spurs Are the Best Fit for LeBron James: Odds & Victor Wembanyama Fit
With The King letting the Lakers know he'll be playing elsewhere next season, I break down why the Spurs are the best fit for LeBron James.
Below, I list James' odds of signing with each team, explain why he'd be a great fit alongside Victor Wembanyama, and more.
📈 LeBron James odds of signing with Spurs
NBA odds via DraftKings.
| Team | Odds | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warriors | +100 | Trail Blazers | +6000 |
| Cavaliers | +150 | Magic | +6000 |
| Heat | +300 | Thunder | +6000 |
| Spurs | +1200 | Suns | +6000 |
| Timberwolves | +1800 | Raptors | +7000 |
| Nuggets | +2500 | Clippers | +7000 |
| Wizards | +2800 | Bucks | +8000 |
| Mavericks | +4000 | Pacers | +8000 |
| Nets | +4000 | Hornets | +8000 |
| 76ers | +5000 | Jazz | +10000 |
| Knicks | +5000 | Kings | +10000 |
| Lakers | +5000 | Pelicans | +10000 |
| Rockets | +5000 | Bulls | +10000 |
| Pistons | +5000 | Hawks | +10000 |
| Celtics | +5000 | Grizzlies | +15000 |
The Spurs have the fourth-shortest odds at DraftKings to sign James at +1200 (a 7.69% implied probability).
The Warriors are the betting favorite at +100, followed by the Cavaliers (+150) and Heat (+300). Golden State has the shortest odds because Draymond Green turned down his player option for the upcoming season to give the Warriors more cap space in free agency.
The Grizzlies have the longest odds at +15000 after James suggested the franchise should move to Nashville.
🏀 Why LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama are a fit
While some already believe James is the GOAT over Michael Jordan, winning another ring would likely help the former No. 1 overall pick close the gap in the minds of Jordan supporters. James needs two more championships to tie Jordan - they have four and six, respectively - and the Spurs are the betting favorites in the NBA championship odds.
The Spurs acquiring James would likely further shorten their odds, as they'd be pairing a consensus top-two player of all time with someone projected to be a perennial NBA MVP candidate.
James is among the league's most intentional passers. He had the second-highest adjusted assist-to-pass percentage in the playoffs at 18.3% (minimum 10 games played), and Wembanyama, who was assisted on 64.8% of his playoff field goals, would likely benefit from playing alongside an elite distributor.
🎯 Should I bet LeBron James to sign with the Spurs?
While the Spurs are the best fit for James from a basketball standpoint, they face a much tougher path to landing him than the Warriors. They could acquire James in a sign-and-trade with the Lakers since he is tied to L.A.'s cap hold, but the Lakers likely wouldn't help the Western Conference favorite acquire a future Hall of Famer.
An even more difficult route would be for the Spurs to dump salary by trading players to teams with available cap space, but that would also require cooperation from multiple teams.
🔮 Will the Spurs sign LeBron James?
No, while the Spurs landing James would be best for his legacy, the +1200 odds at DraftKings underestimate how difficult their path to signing him would be.
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