Where Will LeBron James Play In 2018-2019? Lakers, Rockets, Cavaliers Among Betting Favorites

No one has any idea where LeBron James will be playing next season. Sure, there seems to be a select number of realistic destinations for the second-best player in NBA history, but no team has a clear edge over all the others in free agency.

All you need to do is take a look at the latest betting odds to fully understand the uncertainty that surrounds James’ future. Bovada.lv has named the Houston Rockets (5/2) as the favorite to sign James this offseason, while BetDSI has put the odds at -300 that James will start the 2018-2019 NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers likely improved their chances of keeping James beyond this season. After trading six players before Thursday’s deadline, the team appears much more likely to reach the NBA Finals for a fourth straight year.

Cleveland’s moves changed the landscape of the upcoming LeBron Sweepstakes that will assuredly dominate headlines this summer. It can be argued that the Cavs are in a better position to keep James, now that they’ve gotten younger and likely better. One of those trades involved the Lakers, and that undoubtedly made it easier for the organization to lure James to L.A.

Ever since the Cavaliers lost to the Golden State Warriors in five games in the 2017 NBA Finals, there has been speculation that James would head to Los Angeles once he’s free to opt out of his contract with Cleveland. The biggest problem with that theory was that L.A. had no current superstars on the roster, and they didn’t have enough salary cap space to sign both James and another All-Star level free agent.

That issue was solved when the Lakers got the Cavs to take on Jordan Clarkson’s contract, which is worth nearly $26 million over the next two years. Los Angeles will now have room to give out two max salary contracts in the offseason.

James owns two houses in Los Angeles, and the Lakers are one of the few teams that will have the cap space to sign him to a max contract that will pay him approximately $35 million next season.

Philadelphia is considered to be among the top-five free agent suitors for James, in part because they are one of the few teams that will have a max salary slot open. Much like the Lakers, they have a core of young players, though the 76ers could actually make the playoffs this season with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons looking like future superstars.

Houston won’t have the same salary cap space that Philadelphia and Los Angeles will have, especially not if the team intends to re-sign Chris Paul. But it’s what Paul and James Harden have done this season that’s made the Rockets the favorite to sign LeBron in the eyes of many. Houston is clearly the biggest threat to Golden State, and adding James would give them a real chance to dethrone the defending champions.

Houston must figure out a way to shed salary—Ryan Anderson makes $20.4 million next season—and re-sign Paul at a discounted rate. Los Angeles likely has to acquire a second superstar to pair with James. Cleveland needs to convince James that he can still win championships with the Cavs, despite their recent struggles and the salary cap hell that awaits them.

When James first hit free agency in 2010, he left Cleveland for a team that had cap space to sign multiple stars. Four years later, he returned home to a team that had a budding superstar and the flexibility to trade for an established All-Star.

What team will LeBron James play for Game 1 of the 2018-2019 Season? [Bovada]

Houston Rockets (5/2)

Cleveland Cavaliers (11/4)

Los Angeles Lakers (5/1)

Golden State Warriors (6/1)

Detroit Pistons (10/1)

Philadelphia 76ers (10/1)

Minnesota Timberwolves (12/1)

San Antonio Spurs (14/1)

Milwaukee Bucks (15/1)

New York Knicks (16/1)