The NBA is one vast waiting room.<\/p>\n
On one side, players sit around, sweating out a decision from LeBron James, the summer\u2019s most decorated free agent, who has yet to choose a new team. Once he does, they will receive a better grasp of their own futures.<\/p>\n
On the other side are the players whose destinies require a conclusion to the Aspiration investigation, where the NBA is looking into the LA Clippers and Kawhi Leonard for alleged salary-cap circumvention. For now, Leonard\u2019s trade to the Toronto Raptors is on hold. The organization won\u2019t acquire him until it knows for certain whether he will incur a penalty. The league has not ruled out the possibility of suspending Leonard or voiding his contract.<\/p>\n
LeBron James to Philadelphia? Saquon Barkley makes his pitch<\/p>\n
Zach Berman<\/p>\n
So, the Raptors wait for Leonard. The Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors wait for James. And plenty of other individuals are tied to their situations, too.<\/p>\n
Here is a look at each element of the NBA that James\u2019 and Leonard\u2019s situations have put on hold:<\/p>\n
James Harden\u2019s free agency<\/p>\n
Because it\u2019s a foregone conclusion that Harden will remain in Cleveland, one offseason storyline has gone under the radar: Harden, who the Cavaliers traded for earlier this winter, remains unsigned. And it\u2019s not because he has a stray eye or because the Cavs have secretly developed buyer\u2019s remorse. It\u2019s because of the hunt for James, the homegrown four-time MVP who could return to the place he began his career.<\/p>\n
James\u2019 hypothetical salary would factor into whatever the Cavs could pay Harden, who made $39.4 million last season. Re-upping for a comparable salary would send Cleveland over the second apron, a payroll threshold it hopes to avoid in 2026-27. And because the team got so expensive, it would limit its ability to pay James, who could receive only a minimum contract.<\/p>\n
Harden will earn less money next season than he did in the last one regardless, though he\u2019ll receive more than just a one-year deal to make up for it. If James were willing to play for the minimum, then Harden could slice his salary closer to $30 million, and James could head to the Cavs, who could still stay below the second apron. But if James wanted more than a minimum salary, then it would take more than just a pay cut from Harden to land him.<\/p>\n
Max Strus\u2019 and Dennis Schr\u00f6der\u2019s homes<\/p>\n
The Cavaliers require a second step to pay James more than the minimum. Let\u2019s say Harden re-signs for a 2026-27 salary of approximately $30 million. Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell both make more than $50 million this season. Jarrett Allen is due for $28 million. That leaves two mid-sized salaries Cleveland could dump.<\/p>\n
Strus and Schr\u00f6der make $16.7 million and $14.8 million this season, respectively. Attach a draft pick, and the Cavs could drop either into another team\u2019s space. Schr\u00f6der, especially, might be the easier one to trade \u2014 and not only because Strus would still be a productive fit coming off the bench on a squad that included James. Schr\u00f6der\u2019s salary is small enough that the Cavaliers could trade him into another team\u2019s midlevel exception, which would allow them to take zero money back.<\/p>\n
But if James is willing to take the minimum, then Cleveland doesn\u2019t need to shed any of its rotation players. And if he doesn\u2019t sign at all, then the Cavs are in a different financial (and on-court) place, too.<\/p>\n
Draymond Green\u2019s free agency<\/p>\n
If Green and the Warriors didn\u2019t have such a long-standing relationship, he might not be a free agent at all right now. The 14-year veteran turned down a $27 million option to enter a market that wouldn\u2019t pay him nearly that much. He had no intention of leaving Golden State, but he did hope to help the only organization that had ever employed him.<\/p>\n
The Warriors already have two giant salaries on their books: the ones belonging to Stephen Curry and injured star Jimmy Butler. They are making a play for James. Add another giant direct deposit, and the ability to pay him goes out the window. But Green declining the option gives them financial flexibility.<\/p>\n
As of now, Golden State is nowhere near either apron. If James chose to go there, it could use the $15 million midlevel exception to sign him, then re-up Green to a smaller deal. If James flocked elsewhere, then the Warriors could still give Green big money to come back. Of course, there is another element at play here.<\/p>\n
Anthony Davis\u2019 immediate future<\/p>\n
The following is a plea for a new NBA rule:<\/p>\n
Just last week, Bob Myers, the president of the company that owns the 76ers, appeared on \u201cGame Over,\u201d a podcast that James\u2019 agent, Rich Paul, co-hosts. Myers\u2019 mission was to pitch James on Philadelphia. Election rules should apply to such interviews.<\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s podcast should observe the same rules as political journalists, who must provide equal airtime to political candidates. Each episode should feature a new front-office head who is wooing James. Bring on Koby Altman, Pat Riley and Tim Connelly. And then host a special edition show with two lead executives: Mike Dunleavy Jr. from the Warriors and Michael Winger from the Washington Wizards \u2014 and make them negotiate an Anthony Davis trade in front of the cameras for the world to see.<\/p>\n
This would truly be unprecedented podcasting.<\/p>\n
Until then, we don\u2019t know for certain where Davis will play next season. The Wizards have expressed no interest in trading him, league sources who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the deliberations, told The Athletic, but they also acquired him for a minimum package less than a year ago. If James were to tell the Warriors that he\u2019d go there as long as they acquired Davis too, then Washington would hold the leverage. And if Golden State offered a luscious return for James\u2019 former running mate, the Wizards would have no choice but to listen.<\/p>\n
All this and more should be on Rich Paul\u2019s podcast.<\/p>\n
Top 5 LeBron Lakers Moments<\/p>\n
The schedule makers<\/p>\n
The NBA has already begun mapping out the schedule for the 2026-27 season, but it won\u2019t be easy to finalize any matchup until it knows where James will play.<\/p>\n
Ever since he entered the league in 2003, James has provided a bump in viewers. Wherever he plays \u2014 whether he goes home to Cleveland, teams up with Curry or shocks the world and signs with a G League team \u2014 shows up on national television more than it would if he were not in town. On Christmas, which features the league\u2019s marquee squads, he settles into the primetime slot.<\/p>\n
Only a handful of players hold such influence, one of whom is a guy he could join next season, Curry. Why should the league jump the gun with its schedule before it knows its biggest draws?<\/p>\n
DeMar DeRozan\u2019s free agency<\/p>\n
The rest of the NBA saw one move from the Sacramento Kings coming. A team that lost 60 games last season was in danger of paying the luxury tax, and its only reasonable path out of financial danger was to waive a 36-year-old scorer, DeRozan.<\/p>\n
Now, DeRozan\u2019s prospective new teams include ones affected by both James and Leonard. The Heat have tossed around the idea of DeRozan for years, league sources said, but they are in on James. If they don\u2019t acquire one wing scorer, then maybe they turn to another. After all, DeRozan may no longer be an All-Star, but he still averaged more than 18 points last season.<\/p>\n
Either of the Los Angeles teams have been long-rumored DeRozan destinations. Of course, whether the Clippers still employ Leonard would affect their ensuing decisions. The Raptors, where DeRozan began his career, could turn to him if the Leonard trade were to fall apart.<\/p>\n
For now, of course, they do not know.<\/p>\n