LeBron Landing Spots for Season #24

Where will LeBron James play his 24th NBA season?

The NBA's all-time leading scorer will officially hit free agency on July 1, possibly returning to the Los Angeles Lakers. But the franchise may go in an entirely different direction, choosing instead to build a younger squad around star Luka Dončić.

Whatever the answer, James will find a limited market, with just the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Lakers projected to have significant spending power under the salary cap. His days of earning over $50 million a season may be over.

If money isn't the primary driving factor, what are the best landing spots for James this offseason?

The best fit for James is also the most complicated one. "Just a kid from Akron" goes home to end where he began.

James joined the Cavaliers in 2003 as the No. 1 overall pick, leading the team to the NBA Finals in 2007. After a stretch in Miami with the Heat, he rejoined the Cavs for a four-year battle against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, finally winning a championship for the franchise in 2016.

The Cavaliers returned to the Eastern Conference Finals this postseason for the first time since James' second departure, but the New York Knicks dispatched them quickly in a sweep. Cleveland is paying for a win-now team that's just not good enough.

James gives the franchise the chance to push the envelope. The Cavaliers give him a roster that's closer to a title than the Los Angeles Lakers, in the conference without the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. Not that the champion Knicks are a pushover, but the Cavs with James would make for a more competitive series.

Unfortunately, Cleveland has a heavy payroll projected to be over the NBA's second apron and can only offer James a minimum contract below $4 million. That is, unless the Lakers and Cavaliers follow B/R's advice on a blockbuster sign-and-trade that moves Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, and Dennis Schröder to L.A.

Beyond James, Cleveland needs to get its finances in order; the penalties for multiple years over the second apron are severe. James gives them a unique way to stay competitive even while losing key contributors.

If there's a franchise willing to pay James the required three years in a sign-and-trade deal to wind down his legendary career, it's the Cavaliers.

Will it be:

#1: Cleveland Cavaliers

#2: Los Angeles Lakers 

#3: Golden State Warriors 

#4: Miami Heat 

#5: Retirement