LeBron to Denver? It’s crazy but not as crazy as you think

The third and perhaps final installment of The Summer of LeBron may be the most unpredictable yet. Limited cap room among the league’s contenders means teams jockeying for position to challenge the Warriors will have to get creative, and player movement will be at an all-time high. Teams will have to take unprecedented risks without knowing if they’ll eventually be rewarded.

The long-term futures of not just James but stars like Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis and Chris Paul are also up in the air. They all will likely have to wait in line until James determines where he’s playing next season. James didn’t decide to take his talents to Miami until July 8. He didn’t publish his essay announcing his return to Cleveland until July 11. This year’s decision could loom until mid-July. The big players in free agency will be put on hold until then. The league waits for no one, except its King.

James has more than just one or two appealing destinations. He could go to the Lakers, bring another superstar with him and build up his entertainment and media empire. James could become the world’s first billionaire athlete and still make a deep playoff run. He already has two homes stocked, furnished and ready to go in LA. James could learn at the feet of business mogul Magic Johnson and someday, just like Magic, own a piece of his own professional sports team. Maybe the same franchise in Northeast Ohio that he’s about to leave this summer.

If James puts a priority on winning a fourth ring above all else, he’ll stay East. He could team with Ben Simmons — a younger version of himself without a jump shot — in Philadelphia and form a big three with Joel Embiid that rivals the Warriors’ Steph Curry-Kevin Durant-Draymond Green trio. In Boston, James and Brad Stevens would be a fascinating pairing. If he somehow ended up in the green and white, the Celtics might begin next season as the odds-on favorite to win the title.

James may want to finally play alongside his close associate Chris Paul. He could become the third banana to Paul and Harden in Houston and crank up the most efficient offense of all-time to another level. Imagine adding the guy who just carried a team whose third- and fourth-best players were George Hill and Kyle Korver to the NBA Finals to the Rockets’ attack.

But what exactly are James’ priorities? That’s the billion-dollar question facing the greatest player of a generation and arguably the greatest of all time. Is it rings over everything? Would James prioritize a locale that appeals to his family and entrepreneurial aspirations? He’s the only one with answers to those questions.

—

Josh Kroenke has built an impressive network of contacts while running the Nuggets, along with Kroenke Sports’ other enterprises. One of the numbers in his overflowing Rolodex belongs to James. The two went yachting off the Italian coast prior to the 2016-17 season and are still close. Kroenke and his father don’t attend 82 games a season — few owners do — but they’re sure to be front and center at Pepsi Center when James is in town.

Kroenke has a healthy relationship with James’ inner circle, which includes his business manager Maverick Carter and agent Rich Paul. Carter oversees James’ business ventures ranging from their Hollywood production company Spring Hill Entertainment to scholarship programs and the Uninterrupted media platform. Paul boasts an impressive client list that runs around 20 athletes deep. His clients include John Wall, Ben Simmons, Eric Bledsoe and Nuggets forward Trey Lyles.

It’s easy to talk yourself into other reasons why James would be fond of the Nuggets. Coach Michael Malone was an assistant on the Cavs’ staff from 2005-10 during James’ first stint with the organization. Malone has built up a solid reputation among NBA stars and was a reason why Paul Millsap chose to sign with Denver last summer. Nuggets assistant Jordi Fernandez was a player development coach with the Cavaliers in 2009-10 during James’ last season in Cleveland before signing with the Heat. He was added to the Cavs’ G League affiliate’s coaching staff in 2013.

Two seasons ago, Mike Miller sat at the end of the Nuggets’ bench. Last season it was Richard Jefferson. Both Miller and Jefferson are former teammates of James’ and two trusted confidants.

Those factors could open the door for a potential meeting with James once the free agency window opens on July 1. Some executives around the league think the Nuggets have a chance, albeit an extremely small one, to land James. They cite Denver’s growing clout around the league, unselfish style of play and promising core but are realistic with who the Nuggets will be competing against for his services.

Denver has also slowly inched itself closer to having a seat at the table with some of the league’s biggest names over the past few years. The Nuggets were able to recover from a tumultuous two-year run under Brian Shaw and rebuild their organizational culture that’s attractive to free agents. Just ask Millsap, who signed a three-year $90 million contract with Denver last summer. Or Dwyane Wade, who narrowly chose his hometown Bulls over the Nuggets in 2016.

“They did an unbelievable job of recruiting me,” said Wade regarding Denver’s sales pitch. “The first call I got was from them on July 1. It was a great process, and I got to know some great guys along the way. … Those guys, I was sold on them, those individuals, great individuals. They made it a lot tougher than people think just from the standpoint of when you get into free agency, it’s all about how comfortable someone can make you feel.”

No matter how much of a rapport James has with upper management or a prospective coaching staff, it’s hard to imagine he won’t place somewhat of a priority on who he’s playing with. That’s where the Nuggets can really sell themselves.

The grind of the 2018 postseason was tough on James. By the end of the series — broken hand or not — the mental and physical toll of just a four-game sweep was apparent. James will surely want to surround himself with a better supporting cast wherever he takes his talents next. You can’t rule out anything when it comes to James’ basketball future, but it’s safe to say his longevity will be compromised if he continues to shoulder as much responsibility as he did in this year’s playoffs.

The Nuggets’ equal-opportunity offense and unselfish brand of basketball would be a refreshing change from the isolation-heavy style James was forced into playing during his latest Finals run. Denver attempted 304.2 passes per game last season according to Second Spectrum, good for 13th-most in the league. The 273.5 Cleveland averaged per game was the fourth-least. James and Jokic, two of the league’s true offensive geniuses, would be unstoppable on that end of the floor.

From his first two championship runs in Miami to his most recent triumph in 2015, James has always been surrounded by shooters who aren’t afraid to let it fly. The 18.5 drives per game he averaged in the playoffs were good for fourth-most. More often than not, they led to open threes.

The Nuggets have proven shooters in Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Jokic who all shot 38 percent or better from three-point range last season. Lyles hit 38 percent of his threes during his first season in Denver. Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez, who are both also under contract for 2018-19, flashed the potential to be a capable catch-and-shoot threats as well. All of them would get even more open looks alongside a creator like James. If James wants to transition into more of a facilitator role but still have the opportunity to take over when the game’s hanging in the balance, the Nuggets would present that opportunity.

Most playoff teams are cap strapped, and if James selects a rumored suitor that’s not the Lakers or 76ers, then a sign-and-trade is likely in order. Any team that James chooses to go to would move heaven and earth if he’s interested.

—

There’s something to the 2017 ESPN article by Micah Adams that identified how the Nuggets are stealing the Warriors’ championship blueprint. Adams compared how Denver built its core of Jokic, Murray and Harris through the draft to how the Warriors’ assembled their foundation of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green. He compares Jokic’s offensive brilliance to Curry’s and noted that both teams added disciplined veterans in Millsap and Iguodala to take them to the next level.

Denver would have taken a substantial leap up the Western Conference hierarchy if Millsap had stayed healthy for most of last season. But missing the playoffs in a year the Nuggets were expected to make it pushed their timeline back a season.. Denver just doesn’t seem to have the necessary prestige around the league to resonate enough with a star like James this time around.

The Nuggets haven’t made the postseason since they fired George Karl in 2013. Denver’s core still doesn’t have a minute of playoff experience under their belt. The Nuggets are still likely a year away from being in position to land their franchise-altering free agent.

Just as a marquee signing propelled the Warriors to another level in 2016, maybe next summer is when Denver lands its Kevin Durant.