The battle for LeBron James continues! The Nuggets join the race as the Spurs withdraw; an executive says heading to Denver to team up with that particular player is the right move.

On July 2, Beijing time, the Denver Post reported that the Nuggets have taken the initiative to contact James, signaling their intent to sign him. Furthermore, noted journalist Stein stated that the Spurs, having reached a verbal agreement with Harris, will almost certainly not chase James anymore.

Shams was the first to report that James will change teams next season and leave the Los Angeles Lakers. James's agent, Rich Paul, revealed on a podcast that since James became an unrestricted free agent, he has communicated with 12 to 14 teams. Apart from the Golden State Warriors, Paul declined to disclose the list of other interested teams.

Shams noted that the Warriors, Cavaliers, and Heat are currently viewed as the most likely destinations for James. As early as March this year, ESPN reporters McMenamin and Bontemps cited multiple sources indicating that the Nuggets were one of the potential landing spots for James.

A Western Conference executive stated, "Across the entire league, who is the only player that matches James's basketball IQ? Going to Denver to partner with that individual is the right call."

The day after news broke that James was testing free agency, several industry insiders once again mentioned the Nuggets as a hot candidate. Windhorst said on a podcast that the Nuggets are a "dark horse" option for James. Reporter Lowe also commented during his own show that among all remaining potential landing spots this offseason, the Nuggets are the most intriguing team.

If James is willing to make Denver the possible final stop of his career, the Nuggets will need to weigh which players to trade away in order to free up salary cap space to sign him.

According to salary website Spotrac, the Nuggets are currently only $4.6 million below the second apron. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon have a combined salary of $82 million for next season.

Paul has repeatedly emphasized that James's primary criterion for choosing a team is its championship contention ability, not salary. Whether the Nuggets can bring in James while maintaining sufficient rotational depth around Jokic will directly influence whether the NBA's all-time leading scorer considers signing with Denver.