Mario Chalmers knows LeBron James better than most people.
The former Miami Heat starting point guard spent four seasons alongside LeBron James (2010-2014) and helped lead the franchise to back-to-back NBA titles along with four Finals appearances. It was Chalmers who started in the backcourt alongside franchise great Dwyane Wade and the other “Big Three” members, James and Chris Bosh.
Mario Chalmers on LeBron James: 2 or 3 More Years
While the 40-year-old Chalmers long ago wrapped up his NBA career — he last played during the 2017-18 season with the Memphis Grizzlies and now plays in the BIG3 League with the Miami 305 — he does pay attention to major NBA storylines. With the 41-year-old James a free agent and on the verge of likely picking his last team, Chalmers expect James to give it a go for at least another couple of seasons. In fact, he believes two or three more seasons is the right timeline for James.
He also predicts that it’ll come down to the Heat or the Golden State Warriors, but ultimately believes it’ll be the Warriors that James ends up signing with.
“I give him two to three more years, and I want to say Miami, but I have a gut feeling that it might be Golden State,” said Chalmers in a one-on-one interview.
The three most mentioned teams for James’ services are none other than the Heat, Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Heat make sense not just because of his previous ties to the organization, but because they’re now a championship contender with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the fold. As far as the Warriors are concerned, they have Steph Curry and Draymond Green and were once James’ top rivals in the Finals, matching up against the four-time MVP in four straight Finals.
The Cavaliers make sense because they finished as the second best team in the Eastern Conference, losing to the New York Knicks in the conference finals. It’s obviously also James’ hometown and original team and they feature a championship-ready core in the likes of Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Mario Chalmers on LeBron James’ Motivation: Championships and Happiness
It has been said that James’ motivation in his next tenure is to be happy. When asked if that’s the primary motivator, Chalmers said that James won’t go to a losing situation and that winning a championship along with happiness are primary motivating factors.
“I think it’s a little bit of both, more about winning championships, but definitely the happiness comes with it,” said Chalmers. “He’s not gonna go to a losing situation, of course. The ultimate goal is to win the championship at the end of the season, but that’s his goal.”
Other teams have emerged as potential destinations such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. In the 76ers’ case, they’re now arguably the top threat to the Knicks after acquiring the Celtics‘ former franchise player, Jaylen Brown. That has added to the likes of Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe and Joel Embiid.
We’ll see where James ultimately ends up, but it’s clear that the future Hall of Famer is still in very high demand as he continues to be one of the best players at the age of 41.
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