All-Star big man Bam Adebayo may know something the rest of the world doesn’t. On Thursday, the Miami Heat’s defensive stalwart liked two images of LeBron James alongside himself and Giannis Antetokounmpo, possibly hinting that “The King” was on his way back to South Beach.
Overtime’s IG account highlighted that the two pictures were actually AI-created. It appears Adebayo knew they were doctored images but liked them anyway.
Miami Heat Frontrunners for LeBron James
The Heat have overtaken the Cleveland Cavaliers as the new betting favorites to land James, amid widespread reports that the four-time NBA champion is enamoured with the idea of playing in Miami alongside Antetokounmpo and Adebayo.
The franchise further fueled the rumors when it “accidentally” posted a video titled “LeBron James introductory press conference” along with the description, “Press conference for LeBron James welcoming him back as a member of the Miami HEAT.” The video, which dropped on the Heat’s YouTube channel on Wednesday, was scheduled to be released for July 27, but was later unlisted when fans got wind of it.
“It was a mistake by the Heat’s social media department while preparing for the possibility of LeBron picking the Heat,” a team spokesperson told the Miami Herald. “But there is no validity to it right now.”
Although the Heat maintain that the video was posted mistakenly, scores of fans feel they leaked it purposely to generate buzz ahead of James’ imminent signing.
LeBron James Free Agency: Or Are They?
After the YouTube link was posted, the Heat (-125) surged into a position of a strong favorite to sign James, ahead of the Cavaliers (+240), Golden State Warriors (+550), Philadelphia 76ers (+950) and Minnesota Timberwolves (+6000), per The Athletic.
Yet, a league executive told The Athletic’s Joe Vardon that James does not really know where he plans to sign as he enters Day 25 of his free agency.
“Nobody knows right now except LeBron,” the source said.
“And I’m not even sure LeBron knows.”
One of the theories doing the rounds is that James is waiting on one of his suitors to trade for Anthony Davis or Kyrie Irving, in order to seal the deal with him. However, ESPN’s Shams Charania has pushed back on that theory.
“My sources tell me LeBron James, his agent Rich Paul, that inner circle, they’re not waiting for another domino right now,” Charania said on Thursday. “They’re not waiting for Anthony Davis to get traded anywhere. They’re not waiting for anyone else to move around anywhere.
“Cleveland, Miami, Golden State, Philadelphia, Minnesota [are] set. Those are the teams. Wherever he ends up, I mean, you’re looking at minimum deals, you’re looking at exceptions. The contracts are not going to be this grand part of this deal.”
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