Big ESPN voice links LeBron James to the Nuggets

Even entering his age-42 season, his 24th in the NBA, the biggest story of the summer is the LeBron James sweepstakes and the Denver Nuggets might just have a shot, again.

One of the most connected basketball reporters, who has long covered The King, has listed the Nuggets as “an outlier team” for James. Brian Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast on Wednesday morning, “if I were Denver, I would kick the tires.”

Former ESPN voice and now of The Ringer, Zach Lowe listed Denver as his favorite James destination, saying, “just plop him in Denver, and oh, you want two of the all-time genius passers in history to play off of each other, and LeBron respects Joker… Denver again looms to me as the most interesting team remaining on the board in the offseason for we got to change something, and it’s got to be a big change kind of thing.”

James announced the end of his eight-year tenure with the Lakers on Tuesday as NBA free agency opened. It was his longest consecutive stint for any franchise. There he won a title in 2020, became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, made eight All-Star teams, seven All-NBA teams and was a runner-up for the 2019-20 MVP. It was another Hall of Fame chapter in his legendary basketball career.

But when does the book end? Well, he’s not even committing to next year being his last. As for where the possible final chapter takes place? Many believe he’s about to link up with Steph Curry in Golden State or will return to Cleveland one last time. Though, the Nuggets seem to fit the bill of what’s been reported and oddsmakers have not counted them out.

Tuesday reports shared that James wants to canvas the league before deciding on what’s best for him. And he’ll “be seeking happiness not money.”

James is still an incredible player, an All-Star last year who averaged 21 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists on 52% shooting, 32% from deep, in 33 minutes a game over 60 contests. Anyone in the league would be happy to have that guy let alone what his trophy case brings in cachet and his name brings in marketing.

But unless there is some major maneuvering the Nuggets won’t be able to offer James anything other than the veteran minimum. Despite the reporting, it’s hard to see James going from making $49 million last season to making $4 million in 2026-27.

“I have long thought, and I refuse to bring it up, because I just didn’t want the headache during the year of having to defend this, but I have long believed that if there was an outlier team for Lebron, if he was willing to take sort of some exception was Denver,” Windhorst said. “The idea of playing, if you noticed during the year this year, he was overly effusive with Jokic, might be the two most brilliant basketball minds in the league join forces, and they’re complementary, where him and Luka was kind of a who’s got the ball in his hands…

“Joker’s all about having a guy who he can run pick and roll, either way, can cut off them, all those kind of things. Also, let’s just be honest, if Lebron is playing with Ant and LaMelo for a year like that, there’s a lot of gray in that beard now, he’s going to look like Santa Claus by Christmas,” Windhorst joked about the Wolves. “So I’ll just point out that he has a relationship with Josh Kroenke and the Kroenke family, the owners of the Nuggets…

“He, I believe, was a guest a couple of times on their yacht in the Mediterranean in the summer. Before Lebron was focused on only playing golf in the summer, he used to go, like, be on a boat, like the Magic Johnson, where he went on a boat for, like, a week to 10 days,” he said. “So he has some connection there, and so I never probably even said too many words about even now, but like, if I were Denver, I would kick the tires…

“I will say, also the people are saying, Draymond Green might get taken care of, and in Golden State with the Klutch connection, and Anthony Davis Klutch connection,” he said. “I’d like to point out that Peyton Watson, the Denver Nuggets restricted free agent, is also a Klutch client, not that I think he has anywhere near the level of the relationship with P-Wat that he does with those other guys, I just think I should put it on the record, but more Lebron James’ speculation reporting and drama, I’m sure to come in the coming days, and I’m afraid to say maybe coming weeks.”

Mentioned in my Most Fun LeBron Landing Spots segment w/ @RobMahoney on latest ZL Show –>https://t.co/ZVfcuJuMEe https://t.co/knm89lrpbK

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 1, 2026

Watson is the Nuggets’ most important guy this summer — outside of Jokic and his looming extension — as Denver works to keep him while also possibly shedding salary to soften the tax bill to do so.

Kroenke has floated the idea of mostly running it back, but if the Nuggets did that they’d be spending $450 million on a team, when accounting for the tax bill, that won two playoff games. It’s an idea that doesn’t seem plausible. But with James, there’d be real justification — both because of the money The Chosen One choosing the Mile High City would generate and because his signing for such a cheap deal would likely make the Nuggets title favorites overnight.

But it is worth revisiting in this context that there’s a left turn in 2018 James could’ve taken where he joined up with the Joker for the big-man’s prime instead of going to California. The Nuggets were hot on that trail. And that wasn’t even the first time he probably should’ve been a Nugget if you got back to the 2003 NBA Draft.

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