What is James waiting for? Only two teams have actually made moves for him—multiple rumors have been clarified.

On July 24th Beijing time, The Athletic's insider Vardon wrote an article updating James's status. He hasn't made a decision yet. So what exactly is James waiting for? Although several teams are interested in acquiring him, Vardon points out that only two teams have actively made moves to bring him in: the Cavaliers and the Warriors. Here is Vardon's report —

It's been 24 days since James announced he wouldn't stay with the Los Angeles Lakers. When the news first broke, rumors about his next destination flooded the scene, but now it has turned into a long, drawn-out waiting game. Teams across the league, fans, and even the league office are all eagerly waiting. For weeks, the outside world expected James to announce his new team soon, and that expectation peaked last weekend.

The World Cup is over, and the NBA needs to finalize the 2026-27 season schedule. The five teams chasing James—Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Philadelphia 76ers—are eager to move forward: either successfully sign James or strengthen their rosters if the recruitment fails.

When appearing at the New York Fantasy Sports Carnival last week, James himself said, "I won't keep everyone waiting too long." James's agent, Rich Paul, also publicly revealed that he has informed the five leading candidate teams that no additional recruitment materials are needed.

But as of now, there is still no official announcement.A source close to James, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal discussions, said, "Right now, nobody knows the answer except LeBron himself. I even suspect LeBron hasn't made up his mind yet."

This is a time when sports media can easily breed all kinds of rumors. The news cycle never stops, and the public's thirst for inside information is unending. But frankly, there is very little truly valuable first-hand information about James's major decision. Only Paul is in communication with interested teams, and he doesn't reveal much to any party. Most of what people see and hear is just speculation and subjective opinions.

After all, except for James himself—and maybe Paul—no one knows the real truth.

Recently, there was an incident noticed by the public: The Miami Heat's official social media account once posted a link on YouTube, labeled as a LeBron James press conference scheduled for July 27, but the link was quickly taken down. A Heat spokesperson explained it was just an unintentional mistake. The link clearly showing the specific date inevitably sparks speculation; but on the other hand, major media outlets and teams often prepare for such potential major events in advance, which is routine.

What other rumors surfaced this week? Some claimed that James deliberately delayed his decision to challenge NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Silver also attended the Fantasy Carnival last week and was asked about James's free agency situation. He said, "I hope he announces his decision soon so we can finalize the schedule. As you can imagine, teams and broadcasters are contacting us, and everyone wants the schedule to be finalized as soon as possible."

Silver made those remarks on the same day James said he wouldn't keep everyone waiting. It's not entirely impossible that James is intentionally delaying to play a game of chicken with Silver, but this claim is not very credible. The NBA schedule is usually released in August, and the league has more than just this one issue affected. James will eventually pick a team, and that team will have further moves to make. Staff also need a short break before the new season. The other candidate teams that miss out on him are also in limbo. As a top agent, Paul will need to continue dealing with these teams in the future.

In addition, several TV programs this week spread claims that:James had actually made a choice, then changed his mind, and everything went back to square one. Multiple sources close to James confirmed to The Athletic that such claims are "pure lies." There were also rumors that James was waiting to see if a specific roster trade would be completed, but Paul has already denied this.

Paul appeared on his own podcast this week and said about communication with the chasing teams: "Is there anything else we need to wait for, anything extra they need to do? The answer is no. We don't need anyone to make moves beyond their capabilities. We know the situation, everything is clear, and the message has been delivered."

Throughout the entire recruitment process, only two teams made targeted moves to acquire James.

Late on the night of June 28, Warriors star and James's friend Draymond Green (also represented by Rich Paul) opted out of his player option. Almost everyone outside the Warriors front office was surprised, and many team executives initially thought Green would exercise his option. A Warriors source, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans, revealed that Green and the front office decided on the opt-out to free up salary cap space to try to sign James and also trade for Anthony Davis. The source added, "But there were no guarantees."

Over the past few weeks, multiple league sources told The Athletic that the Washington Wizards, where Davis currently plays, have no interest in trading Davis to the Warriors. To facilitate such a deal, the Warriors would need to send Jimmy Butler to match salaries to satisfy the league's trade rules, but the Wizards have no interest in that.

The other team that actively adjusted its roster to recruit James is the Cavaliers, who have had James twice before.

Even before the outside world knew James would opt out of his Lakers contract, it was widely expected that Cavaliers star James Harden would opt out of his player option. Harden still hasn't signed as of today, specifically to leave the Cavaliers room to maneuver and try to sign James. The Athletic reported Harden's plan weeks ago, and it hasn't changed. Harden recently confirmed that the Cavaliers' goal and plan are to fully attract James back and make one more championship run together.

The Cavaliers also made a less-noticed move: they suspended sales of new "Cavs Nation" membership packages, which are season ticket sales.According to the Cavaliers' official website, fans can pay a deposit to reserve a spot in the ticket queue, but full season ticket packages won't go on sale until later.

On the Reddit Cavaliers fan board, a post circulated claiming an email from the Cavaliers' ticket office, which cited "uncertainty in the offseason free agent market" as the reason for suspending ticket sales. A Cavaliers business operations spokesperson declined to comment to The Athletic, but three Cavaliers season ticket holders said that suspending new season ticket sales is completely contrary to the team's usual practice in previous years.

If James returns to Cleveland, the Cavaliers can undoubtedly raise season ticket prices, and tickets will sell out easily.

Of course, the other teams chasing James also made major moves, but those trades were not specifically tailored to bring in LeBron. The Heat had already planned to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, unrelated to recruiting James; the Timberwolves overhauled their roster before James entered free agency, trading for LaMelo Ball; the 76ers acquired Jaylen Brown for practically nothing, and this trade would have happened regardless of whether James stayed with the Lakers or retired.

In recent weeks, the front offices of the Heat, 76ers, and Timberwolves have all publicly expressed their intent to recruit James. Heat President Pat Riley has been vocal; Philadelphia's Bob Myers and Mike Gansey have also been proactive, with Myers even appearing on Paul's podcast to publicly court James; Timberwolves' Tim Connelly has also laid out the team's advantages publicly.

Who hasn't publicly called out to recruit? Cavaliers GM Koby Altman and Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy. However, the coaches and players of both teams have already been vocal in their recruitment, sharing opinions, and even joking about it (remember Steve Kerr's iconic moment when he drove away and joked to fans, "We signed him"?).

And it's these two teams that have actually taken concrete steps to try to bring James back.Do actions carry more weight than the verbal recruitment of competitors? Or do they know deep down that the chances are slim?

As it stands, no one can give an answer.

Meanwhile, the outside world continues to watch July 27, and that YouTube channel of the South Beach team where LeBron once "took his talents." Also, there are a few things worth noting in Cleveland this weekend.

Rich Paul, who grew up in Cleveland's East Side, will return to town to host a football camp for high school students. He has already announced it on his Instagram and confirmed it to The Athletic. As the founder of Klutch Sports and head of the sports division of United Talent Agency, Paul also represents football players.

This Saturday, a large exhibition commemorating the 2016 Cavaliers championship roster will open to the public at the Cleveland Public Library. The only special guest the organizers have promoted so far for the opening ceremony is the Cavaliers mascot, Moon Dog.