LeBron James free agency roundup: Teams are still in the dark about James’s plans

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the rest of the basketball world are waiting to see what LeBron James does in free agency. As has been the case throughout the better part of the last several weeks, there hasn’t been too much noise from James’s camp. At this point, it’s anyone’s guess as to what he’s thinking. There is, however, some reporting out there that could give a hint as to what James is planning on doing.

The big news of the day for the Cavs was signing Donovan Mitchell to a four-year contract extension. That deal is guaranteed to keep him through the end of the 2029-30 season, and includes a player option for the season after.

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Despite the potentially $273 million extension the Cavs gave out on Tuesday, the 41-year-old James is still Cleveland’s top priority, and that is something Mitchell is fully on board with, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Charania said that Mitchell has been an “active” and “significant part” of the Cavs conversations about improving the roster.

How much you want to read into this is up to you, but this is worth pointing out because of what James’s agent, Rich Paul, said earlier in the infamous whiteboard episode of the Game Over podcast. LeBron would need the blessing of the incumbent star before he signs somewhere. Presumably, he has that with Mitchell and with James Harden, considering he’s reportedly willing to make less money annually to open up room for James.

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Earlier on Tuesday, Marc Stein and Jake Fisher reaffirmed previous reports that James won’t be personally meeting with teams. They reached out to Rich Paul for a comment on where things stand, and were told, “There’s an argument for several teams but ultimately the decision will be LeBron’s and whatever he feels he [should] do.”

The Athletic published a lengthy piece Tuesday morning, going through the potential suitors for LeBron with several different contributors.