Nightcap Hour 2: Jaylen Brown CLIP of Calling Embiid a FLOPPER + LeBron’s Lakers ERA is OVER + Denver Nuggets ENTER the LeBron SWEEPSTAKES + Lakers SIGN Walker Kessler + Anthony Davis REACTS to Post on Rob Pelinka + Spurs LAND Tobias Harris + Celtics

**Shannon Sharpe** (0:01)
LeBron James, his era with the Lakers, finito.
After considering his option this off season, LeBron James decided to leave the franchise in favor of a new beginning. While LeBron could have received a nice contract from the Lakers, his free agency won't be solely based on finances. LeBron is seeking complete happiness with his next contract per Rich Paul. Rich added that he was 80 percent sure LeBron will return to the Lakers. But, upon checking in with LeBron on multiple occasions over the next few weeks, Rich said that number began to slip. Once Braun decided to leave the Lakers, Rich informed the team of that decision. LeBron has instructed Rich Paul to gauge league-wide interest and come back with options before making his free agency decision.
Joe, where does LeBron end up? And are you surprised? So let's go with the first, let's start with this first. Are you surprised LeBron is leaving the Lakers? And then you could add, where do you think he'll end up?

**Joe Johnson** (1:02)
I'm not surprised that Braun is leaving the Lakers.
I kind of seen this to some degree because, you know, when they were soft pedaling and getting this deal done, then you hear all these different scenarios of different teams, guys he could team up with. I figured it was Rich Paul doing, meaning just trying to gain some leverage. But then I started to see some of these moves that the Lakers have made. Come on, bro.
They was never trying to bring Brown back. They don't want to be stuck. They didn't want to be stuck in the past, the next two, three years at his beg and plea, Unc and Ocho. I'm just going to keep it real. But he's still such a high value to wherever he goes right now because there is some teams. There's a few teams. I ain't going to lie, I like him go to that. I think he can turn the landscape of the game still. At his big age, bro, I think it's a few teams he could go to right now, to talk at Ocho, to where if he join a team, you'll probably make them the favorite.

**Shannon Sharpe** (2:00)
What you think at Ocho?

**Chad Johnson** (2:02)
Listen, Unc and Joe, we knew, I like the way they said, well, LeBron's chances of going back to LA decreased. LeBron knew LA didn't want him back. Let's start there.

**Shannon Sharpe** (2:14)
Thank you.

**Chad Johnson** (2:16)
You know internally they didn't want you back. Obviously, having to defer, you would be in the third option. You don't really like that. Boom. Now, let's go to places you can play at. You say it's not a financial decision. That's also a lie. Money always comes into play when it comes to playing in your 23rd season at 42 years old. Money is very important. Or you would you be playing for free? Where's the best place? What team could pay you the most?
Down here in Goddamn Miami.
What do you have down here in Miami?
A relationship. With who? The organization, the one that you've already played for. We got BAM, right? We got Giannis, right? It is free agency right now. We need to get some shooters. We got Tim Hardaway Jr. in. Now, we're not finished continuing to construct our team, but at LeBron, this is the best option, the best place for you to be in the East. You don't want to be in the West. You know, we hear all this conversation, all these talks about him playing in Golden State with Steph and Draymond. Listen, y'all want to play together in the off-season, y'all go play at the goddamn summit in New York, huh? Okay, you can have fun doing that. What you don't want to do is you don't want to go to Golden State and talk about, oh, this is going to be my last run and have to deal with the Spurs, have to deal with the Nuggets, and have to deal with the goddamn Thunder. That's not what you want. At 42 years old, you want to come on down here to the East, even though they improved, but it's the easiest route for a team that can contend that you can come to with Bam Yonesson, the Harderweight Junior, and what are the assets we build and get in this off-season during Free Agency. That just makes the most sense.
And you want to be happy?

**Shannon Sharpe** (3:56)
How could you not be happy in Miami?

**Chad Johnson** (3:58)
No taxes, South Beach. What we talking about? Cuban food, soul food.
You familiar with everything. I'm sure you might have some businesses out here. I'm out here. We got to, Joe, we got tussies.