The 27-team sweepstakes for LeBron James has taken a genuinely fascinating turn, and a fresh report involving the San Antonio Spurs may have just narrowed down exactly which two franchises decided to sit this one out.
27 Teams, One Very Specific Detail
LeBron mania has officially taken over the NBA offseason. After weeks of Giannis Antetokounmpo dominating the headlines, attention has fully shifted to the 41-year-old James as he weighs his next destination. During a recent episode of The Hoop Collective, insider Brian Windhorst revealed that James’ agent, Rich Paul, told him a staggering 27 NBA teams have already reached out about signing James.
With the Lakers naturally excluded from contention, that leaves 29 possible suitors — meaning exactly two teams have apparently stayed silent. And now, thanks to a fresh rumor involving the Spurs, we may finally know who those two teams are.
The Spurs Connection Changes the Math
According to the same report, San Antonio has reportedly held some level of dialogue with James’ camp about a potential move — even if it fell short of a full-blown recruiting pitch. If that’s accurate, it means the Spurs almost certainly belong among the 27 teams who’ve already made contact, which by process of elimination leaves just two realistic non-suitors: the New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Why the Knicks Make Sense as Non-Suitors
New York’s situation is fairly straightforward. As the reigning NBA champions, the Knicks have every incentive to preserve the chemistry that got them to the top, even with their roster already carrying significant cost — a burden that persists even after Jalen Brunson’s team-friendly pay cut. Adding a 41-year-old James into that mix, fresh off a title, simply doesn’t fit the “if it ain’t broke” logic most championship teams follow.
Why Oklahoma City Fits the Pattern Too
The Thunder present an equally logical case. Built carefully around the core trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City has stuck largely to that formula for years — and it’s already delivered them a championship. With an expensive, title-winning roster already in place, there’s little reason for the Thunder to disrupt what’s clearly working by pursuing a 41-year-old star at this stage of his career.
Why the Spurs Angle Is So Intriguing
At first glance, San Antonio actually looked like a plausible candidate to be one of the teams that stayed away from James talks entirely. The Spurs boast one of the most exciting young cores in basketball, headlined by a generational talent in Victor Wembanyama, and there’s a reasonable argument they’d prefer to build patiently around that group rather than bring in a future Hall of Famer for what would likely be a short-term stint.
Yet if the reporting holds up, San Antonio’s willingness to at least engage in dialogue with James’ camp suggests they’re not ruling anything out — which only adds to the mystery and intrigue surrounding exactly where James ultimately lands.
What This Means Going Forward
By process of elimination, the Knicks and Thunder now find themselves grouped into a very exclusive — and slightly unusual — category: two of the league’s most successful current rosters, seemingly uninterested in adding one of the greatest players in basketball history. Whether that logic holds up as more details emerge remains to be seen, but for now, it’s certainly one of the more fascinating subplots of an already wild offseason.
