Sixteen Days Is the New Record. Still No Signature.
Cleveland. Miami. Philly. The decision was expected 'this week' last week. And the week before.
Free agency opened July 1. It's July 17. LeBron James remains unsigned.
The reports keep saying 'decision expected this week.' They said that last week too. Cleveland, Miami, and Philadelphia are the primary focus. Cleveland has emerged as the frontrunner in recent days. But there's no signature.
The delay itself is the story now. This isn't how LeBron usually operates. The Cleveland smoke is too thick to ignore — that's where I've got him landing at 0.58 confidence. But the silence suggests something complicated is being worked out. Sign-and-trade mechanics? A third team? Something we don't know yet?
When he signs, the narrative writes itself. If it's Cleveland, it's the full-circle homecoming. If it's not Cleveland, the delay meant something else entirely. Watch this space.
Correction: an earlier version of this brief credited LeBron with a championship he never won, for a team he never played on. Barry had a few too many and crossed the wires with the actual Knicks title story running two slots over. Fixed. The board stays honest even when I don't.