What we know: LeBron James considering a slew of options in free agency

MIAMI (AP) — All eyes in the NBA are on LeBron James, even amid a huge cycle of changes around the league.

Giannis Antetokounmpo got traded to Miami for Tyler Herro. Jaylen Brown got traded to Philadelphia for Paul George. Kawhi Leonard got traded back to Toronto, Ja Morant got traded to Portland, LaMelo Ball got traded to Minnesota and Dusty May left NCAA champion Michigan to coach Dallas.

There have been some huge moves in the NBA in the past few days. But everybody, it seems, is waiting for James — again.

“He's still the face of the league,” James' agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul said.

If there was any question about whether the league's oldest active player and NBA's all-time points leader still moves the needle, that's been answered.

Soccer's World Cup is going on, the wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden — the home of the NBA champion New York Knicks — is commanding global attention, it's a holiday weekend in the U.S., and yet there's still all sorts of intrigue surrounding where James will decide to play next season.

This much is certain: James, who turns 42 in December, will play a 24th season and it won't be for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Officially, that's the full list of what is known. Paul dropped some clues on the “Game Over” podcast that he shares with Max Kellerman — indicating by showing a whiteboard filled with scrawled-out possibilities that James is looking at a slew of teams, including and probably not limited to Philadelphia, Cleveland, Miami, Minnesota, Denver, Golden State, San Antonio, Dallas, Boston and New York.

“If the Knicks hadn’t have won, there would be no board,” Paul said on the podcast. “He'd be going to the Knicks.”

The decision can come whenever he wants.

It can't be announced or commented upon by a team before Monday at 12:01 p.m. Eastern — unless James signs for the minimum salary, which in his case would be about $3.9 million.

Will he make his announcement Saturday, on July 4 amid a celebration of the nation's 250th birthday? Will he do it on July 8, the 16th anniversary of the famed “The Decision” broadcast?

Nobody knows. Nobody even knows if he knows. And nobody also knows if James intends for 2026-27 to be his final season.

“No one said this is going to be his last year,” Paul said. “Nobody said that.”

That raises the possibility of a 25th season — a quarter-century of LeBron, when nobody else in league history made it past a 22nd season.

It's pretty clear that money won't be a huge factor here. James has earned nearly $600 million in gross salary on the court in his first 23 seasons, while his net worth is generally believed to exceed $1 billion.

Golf will matter. James is an avid — perhaps even rabid — golfer now, and Minnesota, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Denver, New York and Boston aren't exactly places known for great golf offerings in January and February. That said, they all surely have great indoor facilities. It won't be a deal-breaker.

He'll want to play for a team that can contend for a title, not present quality-of-life issues, and appeals to his wife and daughter. Every spot on his list will be able to make a good case on all those fronts.

The podcast had a ton of news and a ton of insight. Paul laid out how James would fit into the lineup of most of those teams, how acquisitions such as Philadelphia acquiring Brown changes dynamics, then talked about some of the reasons why James might be leaning toward — or away from — certain clubs.

But in the end, he didn't provide any real hint.

"You can think whatever you think,” Paul said. “This is just my board. You decide what you want to think.”

And the wait continues.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

FILE - Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James throws chalk in the air before an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

FILE - Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dunks against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of an NBA basketball game, April 10, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh, File)

FILE - Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, takes a pass as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defends during the first half of Game 3 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series May 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

FILE - Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James stands on the court in the closing minutes of Game 4 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, May 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Silverstone hasn’t changed a bit and yet Lewis Hamilton is ready for a British Grand Prix on a “completely different track.”

Hamilton coped best with adapting his driving style around Formula 1's new reliance on battery power to take pole position in qualifying for Saturday's sprint race.

Despite a slight wobble in the final corner, Hamilton held on to take pole by just 0.011 of a second at a track where he'd predicted he and Ferrari would struggle. The seven-time world champion stood atop his car and soaked in the applause as he waved to the crowd.

“I love this place, I love this crowd and I can’t express how big a dream it is,” he said.

Standings leader Kimi Antonelli was second fastest, with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull ahead of Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc.

George Russell was only fifth after winning last week's Austrian Grand Prix, while McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were sixth and seventh in a throwback green-and-white livery.

Setting fast times at Silverstone is very different this year because of how the cars struggle to recharge their batteries around the high-speed circuit. Having only a single practice session on Friday, topped by Hamilton, made it crucial to adapt quickly.

With nine wins there, the most of any F1 driver at a single track, Hamilton knows his home circuit inside out.

Ahead of this weekend's race, he outlined how the 2026-specification F1 cars will struggle with Silverstone's long straights and fast corners.

The Ferrari star predicts cars running at reduced speed with empty batteries, because they need heavy braking zones to recharge the electrical power that's crucial to how they operate.

“This is going to be the most unprecedented weekend in terms of the power deployment," he said Thursday. “All of us drivers have been talking on the drivers’ chat just how poor the power is going to be through this track. We run out of battery power.”

The fastest way around Silverstone now involves easing off the power to recharge in what would normally be some of the most exciting corners, Hamilton predicted, adding it could be a setback for him and Ferrari.

“Normally the engine’s screaming as you’re going into Copse, and you’re holding on for dear life as you go through there flat out. This year, the engine will be coasting down,” he said. “Maggotts and Becketts is just not going to feel the same because I think you have to lift and coast or something through there for a period of time. It’s just a completely different track.”

Even before Friday practice, drivers spent plenty of time practicing for Silverstone on advanced simulators that mimic the behavior of the cars. Hamilton's comments line up with predictions by Verstappen, who said he “just started laughing” when he tried it out.

Despite the changes Norris, who won a thrilling British Grand Prix on his way to the title last year, says F1 can still put on a good show.

“I think Sunday will be exciting. On the outside I think it’ll be great," he said. "Certainly there’s going to be less challenges on the track itself comparing to what you’ve seen in the past few years.”

Racing at home has been bad luck in F1 recently. No driver has scored a point in his home race since Antonelli's ninth place at the Italian Grand Prix in September.

So far this year, Piastri failed to make the start in Australia and Leclerc crashed out in Monaco, leaving 12th for Carlos Sainz, Jr. the best by any driver on home soil.

Where better for that streak to end than Britain? Besides Hamilton's nine wins, Norris is the defending champion and Russell is coming off the victory in Austria last week.

To top it off, those three combined for the first all-British podium since 1968 at last month's Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy steers his car during the qualifying session for the sprint race at the British F1 Grand Prix, in Silverstone, England, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates after setting a pole position for the sprint race at the British F1 Grand Prix, in Silverstone, England, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Mechanics push Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli's car back into the team garage during the first free practice ahead of the British F1 Grand Prix, in Silverstone, England, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri's car back into the team garage during the first free practice ahead of the British F1 Grand Prix, in Silverstone, England, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

From left: Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad of Britain, Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain, and Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland attend a news conference ahead of the British F1 Grand Prix, in Silverstone, England, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain attends a news conference ahead of the British F1 Grand Prix, in Silverstone, England, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain attends a news conference ahead of the British F1 Grand Prix, in Silverstone, England, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)