Денвер Наггетс чөлөөт агент Леброн Жэймстэй холбогдож, сонирхож буйгаа албан ёсоор илэрхийлжээ.
41 настай Леброн Жэймс карьерынхаа сүүлийн бүлгийг хаана үргэлжлүүлэхээ шийдээгүй байгаа бөгөөд түүний хувьд аварга авах боломжтой багт тоглох нь нэн тэргүүний зорилт юм. Никола Йокич болон Жамал Мюррэйгээр удирдуулсан Денвер Наггетс нь энэ шаардлагыг бүрэн хангаж байгаа юм. Хэдийгээр Голдэн Стэйт Уорриорс, Кливлэнд Кавальерс, Майами Хит зэрэг багууд гол өрсөлдөгч гэгдэж буй ч Жэймс өөрийн агент Рич Паулаар дамжуулан бүх саналыг хүлээн авч, судалж үзэхээр болжээ.
Денвер Наггетс багийн ерөнхийлөгч Жош Кронке болон Леброн Жэймс нар эртний найзууд бөгөөд тэдний хувийн харилцаа нь багийн саналд нөлөөлөх нэгэн хүчин зүйл болж байна. Мөн Жэймс сүүлийн үед гольфын спортод ихээхэн сонирхолтой болсон нь Колорадо муж дахь олон тооны гольфын талбайнуудтай холбоотойгоор анхаарал татаж байгаа юм.
Леброн Жэймс аль багийг сонгох нь тодорхойгүй хэвээр байгаа боловч тэрээр өөрт ирсэн бүх боломжийг нухацтай авч үзэж байна. Миннесота Тимберволвз баг мөн түүнийг сонирхож байгаа нь тоглогчийн хувьд сонголтын цар хүрээ өргөн байгааг харуулж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Could LeBron James wind up in the Mile High City? It seems unlikely, if only because of the conventional wisdom surrounding his free agency situation, but that doesn’t mean the Denver Nuggets won’t try.
A league source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect sensitive conversations, confirmed that the Nuggets have indeed reached out to James’ camp to formally register interest, as was first reported by The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando.
And now, as we all wait to see what the 41-year-old James has in mind for the final chapter of his legendary career, it’s worth taking a look at the reasons why he should give this option serious consideration.
For starters, league sources close to James have made it very clear that the chance to truly contend — yes, for a title — is his top priority. The Nuggets, who still employ one of the baddest big men in the history of the game in Nikola Jokić and an elite guard in Jamal Murray (who earned his first All-Star berth last season), check that box. Secondly, those same sources indicate James is truly open to considering any and all options around the Association.
So while Golden State, Cleveland and Miami are widely seen as James’ unofficial top three suitors, the fact remains that James has told his agent, Rich Paul, to field all of the offers and then they will go from there. If you’re James, who is somehow still playing All-NBA level basketball at this unprecedented late stage, you’re probably very curious to see what Paul ultimately comes back with in terms of the possibilities.
(As an aside, most of this logic also applies to the known interest that was lodged from the Minnesota Timberwolves, as reported by our Jon Krawczynski).
There’s this part of the Nuggets pitch as well: As has been reported previously, James is close friends with Nuggets team president/governor Josh Kroenke. The two reportedly vacationed together in the summer of 2016 after James led Cleveland to the title, and Kroenke even gifted James a retro Nuggets jersey in 2018 as part of a summertime attempt to land him in free agency (that’s when James signed with the Lakers). The two men have shared interests in the soccer world, too. Kroenke is co-chair of Arsenal and the Colorado Rapids in MLS (which are both owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, headed by his father, Stan Kroenke). James, meanwhile, is an investor in Liverpool FC and AC Milan.
Last but not least, James’ recent choice to become a golf addict is a fringe factor as well (and that might be selling it short). For what it’s worth, Golf.com ranked Colorado the 10th-best state in America for golfing back in 2015, while highlighting all sorts of courses in the Denver area.
None of which means that James is headed for the Rocky Mountains, of course. But his choice to cast such a wide net at the start of this process means a situation like this deserves the spotlight. And upon further review, there’s a decent case to be made for him to give it a good look.
