James is bound to be disappointed! His delay is merely to see if a team can land Irving or Anthony Davis—but both targets are proving elusive.

On July 23, Beijing time, per O'Connor, LeBron James never rushes into a contract. In 2010, he went to Miami because Wade was already there and the Heat brought in Bosh. In 2014, he came back to Cleveland to team up with Irving, after the Cavs agreed to deal the top pick for Love. In 2018, he signed with the Lakers, understanding the first year would be a bridge to a major trade; sure enough, Davis arrived the following summer.

All three free-agent decisions share a common thread: LeBron only picks teams with a clear championship blueprint.

Fast forward to the 2026 offseason. The league's general consensus is that LeBron has been deliberately taking his time with the decision, watching to see if any suitor can pull off a trade for Irving or Davis. Sources say that if a team can bring in either of his former championship partners, it would strongly sway LeBron to choose that squad.

League insiders widely believe that if the Cavaliers' front office could replace Harden with Irving, LeBron's chances of picking Cleveland would soar. Reuniting the 2016 dynamic duo would be a highly compelling storyline. However, two major hurdles stand in the way.

Obstacle one: The Mavericks have no interest in trading Irving.

Multiple sources confirm this is obvious. New Mavericks head coach Dusty May recently watched Irving practice and compared it to "watching Picasso paint." The team is eager to see Irving paired with Cooper Flagg and is excited about the revamped Dallas roster.

Obstacle two: The Cavaliers are very content with Harden.

Swapping Harden for Irving would mean the Cavs giving up a durable point guard for an injury-prone player. Irving missed the entire season last year; even before the torn ligament, he averaged only 45 games per season over the past six. The last time Irving played 70 games in a season, he was still in a Cavaliers uniform—exactly a decade ago. In contrast, Harden has played over 70 games in each of the last three regular seasons and remains one of the league's most dependable stars.

Breaking up a team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals, adding draft picks, and executing a complex sign-and-trade with the Mavericks just to convince a 41-year-old veteran to join—that's hardly a smart move.

As for Anthony Davis, the Warriors have so far failed to reach a deal with the Wizards, who have signaled they are very willing to keep Davis. The dream of reuniting the bubble championship duo faces major obstacles.

Obstacle one: The Wizards have no intention of trading Davis.

During the Las Vegas Summer League, Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said on SiriusXM: "Davis is in Washington right now, he wants to stay, and we're going to keep him. He's been training with everyone on the team. All 17 players are here for summer league, and Davis has been fully involved in team practices, leading workouts."

The Wizards originally acquired Davis at a bargain—just two first-round picks and three second-rounders. Now Davis has publicly stated his plan to stay. He even boldly declared that next season he will remain in Washington, playing alongside AJ Dybantsa, who is expected to win Rookie of the Year, with a team goal of 40+ wins.

That's an ambitious goal.

The wildcard is that Davis is approaching his extension window. Starting August 6, he is eligible to sign a four-year, $281 million max extension. Rumors suggest he is asking the Wizards for the full max, but if traded to a contender, he would accept less. For this reason, not all sources are convinced the Wizards will ultimately keep him.

If LeBron waits until August to make his decision, it's likely because he wants a clear picture of Davis's extension situation. Both share agent Rich Paul, so LeBron can get plenty of inside information.

Obstacle two: The Warriors highly value Butler.

According to ESPN's Slater, as early as last trade deadline, the Warriors' front office promised Butler they would not trade him. And that's exactly what happened. In February trade talks, the Warriors did not propose swapping Butler for Giannis; instead, they were willing to move Draymond Green and informed Green of the plan in advance.

Now the situation has changed: Green is an unrestricted free agent, and no matter which team LeBron ends up with, Green might follow. If they can get Davis, the Warriors would need to trade Butler, re-sign Green, and sign LeBron. If they miss out on Davis, the Warriors could be left with Curry as the lone star next season.

However, as long as Davis hasn't signed an extension with the Wizards, trade possibilities remain. One interesting point: Davis is already eligible for a three-year, $198 million contract, but both sides have yet to put pen to paper. Is Davis deliberately waiting until August to secure a four-year max? That's possible. Alternatively, multiple parties could be playing a game of poker: the Wizards are pretending they want to keep Davis to drive up trade offers; the Warriors are leaking that they'll keep Butler to hold the line in negotiations; Klutch Sports is biding time, either to push Davis to a contender or to inflate his extension value with Washington.

What is Davis's real intention? At the end of the regular season, his comments clearly showed a desire to join a championship contender.

"I've been in the league for many years, playing for perennial lottery teams. It's extremely difficult for a team that's been at the bottom to suddenly become a title contender. Historically, only one team has done it: the 2008 Celtics."

That's true. The Celtics are the only team in NBA history to win fewer than 25 games in a season and then win the championship the following year. The Wizards, led by Davis, Dybantsa, and Trae Young, clearly cannot replicate that miracle. Even making the playoffs will be a challenge for Washington.

"Even when I was in New Orleans, we missed the playoffs for two straight seasons and made it in the third—that was already a huge leap. To prove a team is on the right track, that's a prerequisite," Davis said. "That's what I want to see in Washington: what is the team's complete winning plan for next season? How will it be executed? Based on those answers, we'll see what happens next."

As of now, no team has been able or willing to complete a move to acquire Irving or Davis. The path to getting Irving is essentially closed, and trade talks regarding Davis have stalled. For the first time in his career, LeBron may have to base his decision on a team's current roster rather than waiting for it to be reshaped to his liking.