LeBron James still hasn’t made his free-agency call, but Mario Chalmers has a strong read on where he could land.
Chalmers, who won two titles alongside James with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, told Fadeaway World he sees the choice coming down to Miami or Philadelphia. He also said he could imagine Golden State as a possibility, while making it clear he believes the East is the more appealing path right now.
“It’s hard to say. But I think it’s between Miami and Philly. Those are my two top choices.”
Chalmers pointed to the win-now setup in both places. In his view, Miami has already added pieces, while Philadelphia gives James a cleaner fit without having to stay in the West.
“I feel like both of those teams are in a good win-now situation. Miami still has added a couple of pieces.
I feel like Golden State is a good option. But I just don’t see him staying in the West right now with the East wide open.
That’s the only thing.”
James, meanwhile, addressed the moment himself at Fanatics Fest on Thursday, where Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton asked the question everyone wants answered. James said he still hasn’t locked anything in and described the choice as one that affects more than just him.
“It’s a big decision for not only myself, but my family as well, where I want to spend the last few years, last year or last two years of my NBA career,” James said. “Wherever I go, I’m a natural-born leader. So I’ll try to fit into whatever team I'm going into and also give them all the tools and the knowledge that I’ve been able to grasp for the last 23 years.”
Chalmers said the timing only makes the decision bigger. In his eyes, this is exactly the kind of move that gets even heavier when a player is deep into his career.
“Once you get older and wiser, the decision is even more important. People are starting to see the writing on the wall and things coming to the end of his career. So they just want to see what kind of bang he’s going to make before he leaves.”
If James ends up in Philadelphia, Chalmers sees the fit as seamless, with Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid forming a loaded group around him.
“With Philly, I see him fitting perfectly with Jaylen Brown, [Tyrese] Maxey, and [Joel] Embiid. You have a ‘Big 4’ there.
‘Bron can play in that 3 or 4 position and also take Maxey off the ball. That will help him grow and become a better scorer, better player, and better playmaker.
With Miami, I see LeBron being a starting point guard with Bam and Giannis right there on the side. They just got to get a couple of more shooters.
They did a good job with getting Tim [Hardaway Jr]. Bobby Portis was a good pickup.
So I feel like Philly is a win-win right now. I think Miami is a win, if you add a couple of more pieces.
Then everything else follows. You got to add more pieces to Golden State.
You got to add more pieces to Cleveland. I feel like Philly has everything.
Miami is the second-best choice.”
Chalmers also addressed the Warriors angle, saying he could picture the team trying to stack even more talent around James if he went there.
“I think it’ll be funny, just because I know they then would get more. I feel like ‘Bron goes to Golden State, then Klay [Thompson] goes back to Golden State. I feel like they would put the whole band back together.”
Still, his personal preference is Minnesota, even if he doesn’t think it’s the cleanest basketball fit.
“I think that would be exciting. I’m a big Anthony Edwards fan.
I like LaMelo [Ball] as a point guard. I think LeBron could really help LaMelo to make him a really dominant point guard in the league.”
“I don’t think it’s a good fit, though, just because they are such a young team. They are still learning how to play seriously and learn what it takes to get to that Finals.
I don’t think ‘Bron has the time to teach and do all of that. He would have to exert a lot more energy in Minnesota compared to anywhere else to get to the Finals.”
Cleveland, in Chalmers’ view, would come with too much roster sacrifice.
“With LeBron going to Cleveland, you’d have to give up somebody. It would have to be Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, or James Harden. They would likely lose something if ‘Bron leaves to Cleveland.”
Chalmers was also asked about the Heat’s reported acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo, and he didn’t hide how he felt.
“I loved it. I’m ‘Heat Nation’ for life.
So anytime they can make a splash, it’s going to happen. I was just down there a couple of days ago.
I was at the arena doing some stuff with them. It was great to see them excited again.
I’m excited to see what ‘Spo [ Erik Spoelstra ] is going to do with incorporating this new offense with Giannis and Bam [Adebayo]. It’s going to be very interesting.
I think they’re going to be a really good team.”
Asked where Miami would stand in the East as things sit, Chalmers put them near the top and emphasized the defense.
“I think it would be top three or four in the East. Defensively, I think they’re going to be top one or two defensive team in the league.
Usually when you’re that high on defense, your offense is going to come with it. I said about their shooting earlier.
That’s the biggest thing. That’s good that they picked up Timmy Jr.
And Bobby can shoot the 3 a little bit. But they’re still missing one or two shooters.
I think now would be a perfect time for a Duncan Robinson, Klay Thompson or real 3-point specialist. With the way the game of basketball is going, it’s easier to find a specialist than a star right now.”
Chalmers also said he was back around the organization recently, working a Heat Jr. camp and enjoying the chance to stay involved.
“I worked the Heat Jr. camp a couple of days ago. So it was just me being out in the community and doing a couple of things like that.
It just started. Two days ago was my first one.
It’s good to be back in the community, being part of ‘Heat Nation’ and winning two championships with them.’ It’s nice the organization still thinks highly enough of me to still be around, do things and represent them.
It shows that I did a little something-something in my career.”
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