Bill Simmons has a vision for LeBron James that doesn’t involve playing next to his son or chasing a ring with Stephen Curry. It involves the San Antonio Spurs, a team that came three wins short of a championship this season and could be one veteran leader away from getting there.
Simmons made the case on his podcast this week, and it’s worth unpacking because it’s not as crazy as it sounds. The Spurs have roughly $41 million in cap space, according to ESPN. That’s enough to bring in James, re-sign their own key free agents and make a real run at the 2027 title.
“The most fun team for him to go to is San Antonio,” Simmons said. “San Antonio, he solves actual issues for them and could actually win the title with them. You could sell that really fast, like Pop’s there. He’s had a long relationship with him. This team’s close. I could be the missing piece. I watched them in the finals for five games.”
He added that San Antonio needs that veteran presence. “They were missing that one veteran leader. I really liked the idea of him on that team. And I wouldn’t consider it a ring chase because if I’m him, I want to keep playing. I’m still really good. This Lakers thing is fizzled out. It’s they obviously don’t want him to come back. It’s been an uneasy dance for six months. They want to turn the team over to Luka and San Antonio kind of needs them.”
The Golden State option is a different kind of sell
Simmons also acknowledged the appeal of a LeBron-Curry partnership. That’s the nostalgic, box-office route. The Warriors would sell out every arena. It’d be like the Eagles reunion tour in 1995, he said. Every city you visit becomes a must-see event.
“The Golden State case would be you and Curry right out in the sunset together,” Simmons said. “The team is especially if they got Davis to the team is just good enough that it’s kind of fun. You’re going to sell out everywhere. This will be like when the Eagles had their reunion tour in 1995. It’s the Hell Freezes Over tour. It’s just every place you go, it’s going to be the biggest thing that happened in that city in a long, long time from a basketball standpoint, really since the Curry Warriors in the mid-2010s.”
But that’s a nostalgia tour. That’s not a title favorite. The Spurs, on the other hand, already have a young core that pushed Boston to five games in the Finals. Add LeBron to that mix and you’ve got a team that could actually win it all.
Simmons doesn’t think James should ride off into the sunset with the Lakers either. The relationship between LeBron and the Lakers has been awkward for months. They want to hand the keys to Luka Doncic. LeBron is still playing at an elite level. Why would he stay somewhere he’s not wanted?
San Antonio makes sense in a way the other options don’t. It’s not a ring chase. It’s a fit. Gregg Popovich is still there, and he and James have mutual respect. The roster is young, hungry and close. LeBron could be the piece that pushes them over the top, not a farewell tour attraction.
The question is whether LeBron wants to spend the last chapter of his career in South Texas instead of Los Angeles or the Bay Area. But if winning is still the priority, Simmons might be onto something.
Leave a Comment