Rich Paul says LeBron James will take his time on next team

LeBron James is keeping the NBA waiting, and his agent says the clock belongs to him.

Rich Paul, the Klutch Sports CEO who represents James, said on Monday’s episode of Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul that he does not know when the 41-year-old will choose where he plays next season. Paul said James will make the call on his own timetable.

“We’re not going to be rushed,” Paul said on the show, according to ESPN. “It’s his choice to make and when he makes the choice, he’ll make it.”

The wait has become one of the NBA offseason’s biggest storylines. Tuesday marks three weeks since Paul told the Los Angeles Lakers that James would not come back to the franchise for 2026-27 and would test free agency, ESPN reported. James is looking for the team where he will play what ESPN described as a record-setting 24th NBA season.

Teams have made their pitch

Paul said teams have checked in to ask whether they should be doing more while James decides. His answer, he said, has been no.

According to ESPN, the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat are among the clubs still pursuing James. ESPN reported that the three Eastern Conference teams are believed to be the leading options under consideration.

Paul said interested teams do not need to hold up their own roster work while waiting. He noted on the show that teams still have open spots and said James’ camp is not telling them to leave those spots unfilled.

Miami’s interest has been public enough that Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley discussed a possible reunion on The Dan Le Batard Show, ESPN reported. James played for Miami from 2010 to 2014, winning two of his four championships there and reaching four of his 10 NBA Finals with the Heat.

Silver wants clarity for the schedule

NBA commissioner Adam Silver also has an eye on the decision. At the CNBC Sport x Boardroom: Game Plan Summit in New York on Thursday, Silver said he would like James to announce his choice so the league can finish the schedule.

Paul said he later spoke privately with Silver in New York and made the same point: James cannot be pushed into a decision he has not reached.

James made several public appearances in New York last week, ESPN reported, but gave little away about where he might land. He did say, “I won’t hold you guys up too much longer.”

Paul rejected the idea that the delay is designed to draw attention or mirror “The Decision,” the 2010 ESPN special in which James announced he was leaving Cleveland for Miami. Paul said on Game Over that James is weighing a business choice, not staging a spectacle.

Asked whether James was leaning toward any team or had a ranking in mind, Paul said there was nothing he could say. He also dismissed reports suggesting an announcement was close, saying he did not know whether the choice could come in seconds, minutes or later.

This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.