LeBron James has a short list of teams. One of them just made a huge roster move.

LeBron James is about to pick his next team. And for once, nobody really knows which way he’s leaning.

ESPN’s Shams Charania laid out the three teams that keep coming up in conversations around the league: the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers. That part isn’t surprising. What’s interesting is how the 76ers got into the mix.

Philadelphia wasn’t on the radar until they traded for Jaylen Brown. That move changed the math. Suddenly, a team that already had Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe looks like it could use a veteran power forward who can do a little bit of everything. And LeBron fits that description, obviously.

Charania said on ESPN that Philly wasn’t even in the picture before the Brown deal. He noted that this free agency feels different for James because he didn’t go into it with a pre-planned blueprint. He’s actually listening.

“The teams that continue to come up are Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia after they got Jaylen Brown,” Charania said. “Philadelphia was not in the picture, and that’s why this is somewhat a true free agency for LeBron James because he didn’t go into it with a calculation in mind, a plan in place.”

The 76ers’ biggest question mark is Embiid’s health. That starting group of Brown, Embiid, Maxey and Edgecombe is scary on paper. But paper doesn’t play games. If Embiid misses time, the whole thing gets shaky.

Cleveland has a different kind of appeal. Picture LeBron filling the frontcourt slot next to James Harden and Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt, with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen holding down the paint. That lineup has size, shooting and playmaking. It also has the return-to-home narrative, which is always part of the conversation with LeBron.

Miami would give him a chance to run with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, plus Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins on the wings. That’s a defensive nightmare for opponents and a playmaking safety valve for a Heat team that sometimes struggles to create offense in the halfcourt.

Any of these three teams would instantly become a serious contender if James signs. He’s chasing a fifth ring, and he’s not going to waste time on a team that can’t get there.

The wait continues. At 24 years into his career, LeBron is still the name everyone is watching.