Perk says there’s ‘only two people’ who know where LeBron is heading to next 👀 | First Take

LeBron James will be at Fanatics Fest just up the road here in New York.But the big question being where he will play basketball next season.He has already said he is moving on from the Lakers, but on the list of potential next stops, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Miami, and of course the Bay Area as well.Speaking of, here was Steph and Steve Kerr on the LeBron sweepstakes.

You went on a podcast and you kind of made a pitch, maybe to sway his direction, from what I've heard.What's the pitch?

Well, the debate, we know how to win.It's beautiful weather, great golf.I know he's into that.But like you said, the USA experience that we had, the battles that we had over the years, We just know how to play basketball, and I think that he would enjoy, you know, just the idea of what it means to finish your career the right way.

How are you guys doing?Good.Hey, we need to get LeBron, man.We need LeBron.LeBron.Oh, we got him.

OK, that's good.Put that on Twitter.

Put that on Twitter.Kendrick Perkins and Brian Wittenhorst join us now here on First Take.Windy, you first.The Bay Area, they already got him, says Steve Kerr.Go ahead and put it on Twitter.What do you think?

Yeah.I'm sure that's the way the news is going to come out.Steve Curtis, stop late.Put it down.Let's just all be out there on opening night.Why not, Perk?

I'll see you there.Can't wait.I do not expect LeBron to announce where he's going today.I could be wrong.I'm not afraid of saying I don't know.Everyone's afraid of saying they don't know.

I'm not afraid of saying I don't know.But I have a lot that I want to hear from LeBron today.And what I'm hoping is that I'll be able to better answer this question, Shay, after he has this discussion.Because what I don't understand And it's very hard to handicap what LeBron might do.And I think the teams...I was in Vegas all week, and teams were coming up to me, teams that are in the LeBron sweepstakes, saying, what do you think he's going to do?

They don't know.I promise you, for the most part, they don't know.And I think one of the things is because we don't know what LeBron wants.We know that he wants happiness, but it hasn't been defined.And so there's a certain level of happiness that playing alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green absolutely delivers.And one of the things that I firmly believe, Perk, is that LeBron can fit with any team.

his positional talents and ability to bend his game.He can fit with any team.The question I have that I'm hoping and I think a lot of the league is hoping to get maybe a little bit of insight today is What style does he want to play?Because last year, for example, he went in Los Angeles.He played alongside Austin Reeves and Luka Doncic, and he found a style that worked.He played on the wing.

He did catch and shoot.He said, if I'm going to get my baskets perk, I'm going to go in transition.We saw him absolutely leading the break time after time last year.That's a way to play.And if you want to go play in Cleveland, for example, with James Harden and Donovan Mitchell, that's probably how you're going to play.Does he want to play that way?

I have no doubt that he can play that way.If you're going to play with Golden State, you're going to play a different style.They don't play pick and roll basketball like he has played tens of thousands of times.They set Steph Curry up You're going to play a two -man game a little bit with Draymond Green, but it's going to be different.So there's this unquenchable desire for what he's going to do.What I'm more interested in is how he wants to play.

And after I hear that, Shea, then I'll have a better idea maybe of being able to answer some of these questions that people have had for the last two weeks.

It's only two people in the world that knows what LeBron is going to do.That's LeBron and Savannah James.I don't even think Rich Paul knows at this point.I think he's actually waiting on Braun to tell him.And I believe that Braun is weighing all his options at this point.And Wendy, I miss you.

I haven't been on out with you or seen you or talked to you in about a week and a half.But listen, let me ask you,this.The one thing, cause I've been trying to sniff around myself and do my own research on this to try to figure out what Bron wants and what he's gonna do.The one thing I haven't heard LeBron James say is that this is his final year.Yes, he opted out from playing with the Lakers, but he never said this is his last go -round.

So then all of a sudden, when I got to thinking about that, I said, well, maybe he does have more options than just going back home to Cleveland or to Philadelphia.Maybe he might take and say, you know what, I may go out West for a year to Golden State or maybe even Minnesota, and then I could return to Cleveland and retire back home the year after that.I don't know at this point, but I do know this, Shea and Wendy, He's holding up my damn vacation.He's spoiling my vacation.He's spoiling my beauty risks.He's spoiling every single thing, every moment, because we want to know.

But again, here we are again.LeBron James is still the most powerful player in basketball.

Okay, so then, Perk, with that being said, what team do you think makes the most sense for LeBron James to go to this upcoming season?

Listen, If he's trying to win and be a missing piece on a winning team that's ready to win now, that team would be Minnesota.Like just being honest, he would actually fill that void and fill that gap that they're missing since Julius Rounder was traded.When you look at what they already have, LaMelo Ball at the point, Anthony Edwards at the two, J McDaniels at the three, and then you have Rudy Anker in the defense with Ayo and Dante when he comes back coming in off the bench, and Trey Lyles that they just signed.I thought that was an underrated signing, by the way.But you get LeBron James to Minnesota and feel thatvoid.

I don't know if Minnesota is high on this list.I don't know if Anthony Edwards is leaving voice notes on his phone or been blowing his phone up.But it makes the most sense if he's trying to win now.But I will say this.If he goes to Philadelphia, they should be the favorite of coming out of the Eastern Conference.If he does pick the 76ers, they will be the favorite for us coming out of these.

With all due respect to the New York Knicks, the champs, when you look at the pieces that they already have, he would do wonders for Joel to be on both ends of the floor and off the floor.Like, when you talk about leadership, when you talk about Being that guy, that floor general, and to help Joel Embiid and to take pressure and to make the game easier for Joel.LeBron also, Wendy talked about how he transitioned to being that third option guy last year to Luke and Austin Reeves when they all was healthy.Think about the transition that we've seen over the past few years of him actually playing Powell Ford or Center at times.Like, LeBron James is still one of the most athletic and biggest guys in the NBA at 6 '9", 6 '10", 250, 260, and he's still versatile defensively, and he could guard a lot of people outside his position.If he was to go to the 76ers and team up with Maxie and Jalen Brown and VJ Edgecomb and MB, they would be the favorites coming out of the East.

This is a thing, because I don't know how he wants to play, Perk.Because I don't know if he liked playing as the third wheel last year.Because for 22 seasons, I watched him be the lead ball handler of his team, basically.There were times where he would have a little bit less, but he was the lead ball handler.That's how he always played.So when you say Philly or you say Minnesota, I see him being three or four.

Lead ball hander.I see like when you're talking about him playing center or Power forward you're absolutely right.He can do it.Just I know in the past.He hasn't wanted to do it so the team that makes the most natural basketball fit to me perk is the heat if he wants to go play where he would go back into the role as the ball handler and Miami has that role to have him be the primary ball handler and because they have bad metabio and Yost and a cupo they have the guys who can play the big man positions and protect him defensively because At this stage of his career.He could have moments of good defense, but on the whole he's not a strong, you know, 48 -minute defender, so I Two weeks ago perk I didn't have Miami at the top.

I was kind of sort of not even putting them in the top two or three, but the more I've looked at this and the more conversations I had, and I promise you, Perk, I was in Vegas for four days this week.I couldn't go anywhere where people weren't talking to me about where LeBron was going.I'm not talking about fans in the casinos.Of course, they were asking me.Perk, I'm talking about the teams themselves, not teams that didn't have a chance to get LeBron, the teams that are trying to get LeBron, okay?Because there's information, for the most part, is coming from one way.

It's coming, you know, they're giving the information to LeBron, not in there.And so these are the questions that these teams want to know.And so you say Philadelphia.I agree.It's a compelling roster to look at if you add them to that team.I also don't know if LeBron wants to play with a huge heavy burden where he's going to play 38 minutes a night, Shea, when he's only making $4 million.

you know like maybe he wants to come in and do a lot less of a low so he can maybe play for a couple of years so these are all these are all really good questions but there'sso much information that is not out there that makes it very, very difficult.for us to handicap it.And I know that there's this desire from the fans in the league.They want it so bad.We don't have the information.

So today, what we would love to have from LeBron is just how he wants to play.I'll wait on the team.I just want him to tell us how he wants to play.The whole league would love to hear it.

Yep.And I want to hear if this is his last year.Like, I want him to say that.I want him to come out and say, this is my last go -round.I don't care if he does make the announcement of what team he's going to join.I want to know if this is his last year.