The first reason the Thunder should bring in LeBron James is to give them a second solidified star with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Yes, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams both look like they could be stars, but they aren’t there yet and if the Thunder want to take that next step, they need another superstar. In crunch time, when teams are focusing on stopping Gilgeous-Alexander, James would give them another elite ball handler and playmaker. He would force teams and defenses to have to respect another offensive player in a way that they just don’t Lu Dort or Josh Giddey offensively at this point. James would help take the Thunder’s offense to a new level and give SGA a solidified second star until Holmgren or Williams take that next step.
Another reason that James to the Thunder makes sense is he brings them something that they don’t really have and that is playoff experience. Outside of Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort, none of their regular players have any real playoff experience outside of this year. James would be able to come in and help teach them and guide them through the playoffs. Not only would his leadership be a great addition, he wouldn’t shrink down from the biggest moments either because he has been in them over and over again. Bringing in James could really speed up the Thunders’ timeline without them having to commit to something long term when they will have guys to spend money on.
Another reason the Thunder should look to bring James in is how seamlessly he would fit into their lineups. They already have several players who can play multiple positions in Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort and Jalen Williams. James, being able to play all five positions, could fit into so many lineups with the Thunder, giving them the ability to play different lineups depending on who they are playing. If they wanted to play small ball for stretches, you could put James at the four or the five. If they wanted to play bigger, they could put James at the one. It makes it harder for teams to match up with the Thunder and easier for the Thunder to match up with other teams.
The Thunder have an extremely well constructed team and could reasonably take that next step without making a big addition to that team. However, the west has a lot of very good teams and all of their young guys taking that next step could take multiple years. The quickest way to take that next step and not hurt their future is to bring in LeBron James. He brings everything they need in experience, ability to take over the game and play all over their lineup. He also wouldn’t be someone they had to invest huge money into long term, which allows them to keep money open to extend their young players. James to the Thunder just makes too much sense.
