LeBron James, if this isn’t about money — then make your pick already

Enough is enough. 

LeBron James, make up your damn mind. 

He stunned us by leaving the Lakers. He kept us glued to our phones for eight days wondering where he was going to take his talents.

He expertly let the suspense crescendo as he became the biggest story in sports two decades into his career. 

But the movie has dragged on too long.

There’s no way he doesn’t know where he’s going. 

He’s holding teams hostage that believe they have a legitimate chance of acquiring him. He’s paralyzing them from fortifying their rosters. The Cavaliers, Warriors, 76ers, Heat and Timberwolves are “Waiting for Godot” while the rest of the league is putting the final touches on their homes.

Bob Myers, the president of the 76ers, said it best in an appearance on Rich Paul’s podcast, “Game Over.” After stating that James has the best chance to win a championship in Philadelphia, Myers added the obvious. “Whatever I say doesn’t really matter to what he’s going to do, let’s be honest.”

Quipped Paul: “No, it doesn’t.”

No one is going to convince the 41-year-old what’s best for him in the sunset of his career. 

No one is going to persuade a basketball savant who’s been in the league an unprecedented 23 seasons where he has the best chance to win. 

No one is going to influence James, except possibly an 11-year-old girl named Zhuri who has the power to make James cry with a Father’s Day card. 

For James, the options are clear: 

1. He could choose the storybook ending by returning to Cleveland, where his career began after he was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in 2003.
2. He could join Steph Curry and Draymond Green on the Warriors, creating a geriatric super team that would be the greatest story in the league.
3. He could return to Miami and try to win a championship alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.
4. He could go where he thinks he has the best chance to win his fifth ring, say, Minnesota or Philadelphia.
5. Or he could veer in an unexpected direction. 

What’s he waiting for? 

It was in his best interest to take his time making a decision at first. It was wise to see what teams would do to acquire him. To let everyone scramble. To make everyone get a little desperate.

But at a certain point, there’s going to be diminishing returns.

Teams are going to move on without him. They’re going to take themselves out of the race so they can stop living in a state of suspension, treading water.

A week into James’ free agency, what teams are willing — and unwilling — to do has become much more clear.

The Warriors have balked at luring James by pulling off a blockbuster trade to acquire Anthony Davis from Washington, a deal that would mean parting ways with Jimmy Butler as well as multiple first-round picks. If that hasn’t happened yet, the odds of it materializing only seem to decrease.

Barring something crazy happening, James pretty much knows the landscape at this point. He knows his options. Teams have had a week to show their cards. 

It’s time for him to pull the trigger. 

The teams involved in the James sweepstakes have made it obvious how much they want him.

For the Cavaliers, acquiring James is their top priority, which clearly wasn’t the case for the Lakers. 

As for Antetokounmpo? We saw his disappointment after a fan trolled him during a livestream telling him that James had signed with the Cavaliers. “Don’t do that to me,” Antetokounmpo said. “Give me a heart attack.”

Then there’s Green, who declined his $27.7 million player option with the Warriors for next season to clear salary-cap space for Golden State to use their $15 million mid-level exception to pursue James.

Even though James will be 42 next season, he’s the league’s top free agent. He can transform a team into becoming a contender. Everyone is still waiting with bated breath to see what he’s going to do. 

He holds the cards and can drag this on for as long as he likes.

“I think at some point in June, late June, as July rolls around, free agency starts to get going, and as July rolls around and maybe into August, we’ll start to kind of get a feel of what my future may look like,” James said last month on his podcast, “Mind the Game.”

August?

A week of this has been long enough. 

James knows how he wants his illustrious career to end. He knows what he’s prioritizing. He knows his options. 

It’s time for him to make his decision. 

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