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Heat rumors: How Giannis Antetokounmpo feels about LeBron James’ free agency pursuit
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- Heat rumors: How Giannis Antetokounmpo feels about LeBron James’ free agency pursuit
Heat rumors: How Giannis Antetokounmpo feels about LeBron James' free agency pursuit appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Are we on the cusp of seeing a new Big 3 for the Miami Heat as LeBron James ponders his next team, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo patiently waiting? After the Heat traded with the Milwaukee Bucks for Antetokounmpo , they could be adding another future Hall of Fame forward. It's been 16 years since LeBron made "The Decision" to head to Miami, the most consequential free-agent moment in NBA history, given the backlash that followed the live broadcast and the two championships it led to.
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James could repeat history by heading back to the Heat, which is a possibility, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
"There's a draw with Miami. Pat Riley is a draw. I think Erik Spoelstra is a draw, once again, all these years later. I haven't gotten any feel that there's still tension between LeBron and Pat Riley that would detour him from that," Charania said. "I think Bam and Giannis are big draws for him too. He played Team USA with Bam. He has a lot of respect for Bam. Giannis would want LeBron in Miami, as well, from my understanding. No state taxes there. You played in Miami.
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"I think what Rich Paul was trying to do with his podcast, and I think he did, was lay out that, yeah, it's about basketball. It's about culture. It's about environment — I think another layer to that, probably third, fourth down, is living conditions; what does it look like year-round in January? And you think about Miami — it's Miami. You know about Miami. If you have two teams that are basically neck and neck, but one of them is based in Miami, you have no state taxes."
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At the same time, heading back to the Cleveland Cavs , where an 18-year-old phenom's career started not far from James' hometown of Akron, Ohio.
"But the other spot is you're home. That's where you're from," Charania added. "The Cleveland area. This potentially being your last spot to finish your career, do you want to do it in Cleveland? Do you want to do it in Miami? Do you want to do it in Philadelphia ? These are the things I think LeBron James is trying to figure out."
In terms of hierarchy, LeBron James' decision is reportedly narrowed to three teams: the Miami Heat , the Cavs, and the Philadelphia 76ers , who just traded for All-Star Jaylen Brown , with the 76ers listed as third, according to Charania.
