Nine potential LeBron James landing spots in free agency
However, to open up enough cap room to sign James to a max contract, the Spurs would still have to gut a good bit of their roster, because, at the moment, the five-time championship franchise is projected to carry over
$98 million in salaries into 2018-19.
To start, they’d have to renounce Tony Parker’s rights and clear his $23.2 million cap hold from their books.
San Antonio will also have to not extend the qualifying offer to Kyle Anderson, further clearing his $6.5 million cap hold. (Of course, that would only happen after an assurance from James that he’s signing with the Spurs. If one doesn’t come or if the situation is foggy for an extended period after free agency opens up, San Antonio could extend the qualifying offer to Anderson and then just revoke it if James then decides to join the team.)
Then, they’re going to have to hope both Danny Green and Rudy Gayopt out of the final year of their deals, something both players are presently considering.
At that point, San Antonio will find itself with $81.5 million on their books for next season, still needing to clear another $15 million to have room for James.
They could get there by finding a taker for Pau Gasol and the guaranteed $22.7 million still owed to him over the next two seasons, while taking zero salary back in return.
It wouldn’t be easy, but one has to imagine Popovich and general manager RC Buford would find a way to make all that happen if it means landing the best player in the league.
It’s worth noting that Murray is also represented by Rich Paul, LeBron’s agent and childhood friend, and the 21-year-old started recruiting James publicly on Twitter as soon as the NBA Finals ended. (And it’s very possible the two have talked privately prior to this tweet as well.)
If the Spurs were to execute all of the moves we discussed and then landed James, that would leave San Antonio with a core trio of James, Leonard and Aldridge (provided
San Antonio’s apparent rift with Leonard gets cleared up this offseason).
It would take a lot of work, but the Spurs would immediately have one of the most imposing Big 3s in the Association.
At this point, the Spurs don’t seem like a very likely suitor for James, but that could easily change over the coming weeks as his free agency begins to heat up, especially considering his respect for Popovich and the organization.