NBA Teams That Tried and Failed to Land LeBron James
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- The Memphis Grizzlies under Jerry West fell to No. 3 in the 2003 NBA Draft Lottery after a 1997 conditional first-round pick — originally traded for 35-year-old Otis Thorpe — cost them a 50-50 shot at landing James.
- The Lakers called Cleveland in 2007 to offer Kobe Bryant for James, an overture Cleveland declined by calling James "the ultimate untouchable"; Bryant told ESPN he never would've approved a move to Cleveland, listing Chicago, San Antonio, or Phoenix as his preferred destinations.
- The Detroit Pistons traded Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson in 2008 partly in anticipation of a LeBron pursuit, then spent cap space a year early on Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon — a move the article notes "didn't go well."
- Pat Riley dropped his seven championship rings on the table at Miami's 2010 meeting, helping land James alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh; six teams total were granted meetings that summer, with the Cavaliers reportedly spending $300,000 on a "Family Guy"-esque animated pitch.
- All 30 NBA teams contacted Rich Paul within hours of free agency opening in 2014, per Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin; James granted six meetings — the Heat, Cavaliers, Bulls, Mavericks, Lakers, and Suns.
- Jerry Buss wanted a 2010 meeting with James but was denied; he died in 2013, five years before James joined the Lakers in 2018 and finally realized his longtime dream of pairing with LeBron.
Why it matters: Every NBA team will likely contact Rich Paul again this summer as James, still elite at 41, heads into free agency — but the historical pattern shows only a handful get actual meetings (six in 2010, six in 2014). Franchises that reshaped their rosters around a LeBron pursuit, like the 2008 Pistons and 2010 Mavericks, often paid for that gamble long after he chose someone else.
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