LeBron James’ free agency is still one of the biggest stories in the NBA, but according to his longtime agent Rich Paul, there is no timeline for a decision.
“We’re not going to rush,” Paul said on a recent episode of the Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman. “We will not rush, it is his decision that when he chooses, he will be the one to do that.”
Tuesday marks three weeks since Paul informed the Los Angeles Lakers that James will not return for the 2026-27 season, opening the door to what would be his NBA record 24th campaign. The Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat are all believed to remain in the mix, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Paul also pointed out that many teams have continued to explore to see if there is anything else they can do to strengthen their chances of signing James.
“We’ve had several people call and say, ‘Hey, Rich, is there anything else we should be doing?'” And my answer is, ‘No. We don’t need you to do more than that. We understand it. It’s obvious. All messages have been sent.’
NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently admitted that he would like James to announce his decision so that next season’s schedule can be finalized. Paul said the two discussed those talks in private, but he reiterated that the timeline is Jacob’s only.
“I saw Adam in New York and we talked about it,” said Paul. And like I said, it’s still his will. So if he really doesn’t know, you can’t rush it.
As the speculation continues, Paul insisted that no one knows when James will make his decision.
“These people know nothing,” said Paul. “I don’t know when he will be elected, but it will be 48 seconds [from now]. It can be 48 minutes. I don’t know. Even here, you can’t make someone know something they don’t know.”
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