It's drawn out right in front of them. The Denver Nuggets must see the same thing, right? Rich Paul, LeBron James' agent, drew the Nuggets a map on a whiteboard during the most recent recording of his podcast, "Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul." And clearly, you can see that the Nuggets are literally on the board, and one name sticks out amongst the four that Paul had put with a cluster for the Nuggets. Johnson. Cameron Johnson.
Rich Paul’s whiteboard session for LeBron’s next team, summarized:
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) July 3, 2026
- Cores of Sixers, Heat, Wolves, Nuggets, Cavs prominently featured
- Warriors, Mavs, Celtics, Spurs, Knicks secondary
- Mavs mostly listed for non-basketball reasons
- Cavs Assistant GM Brandon Weems a "big X… pic.twitter.com/xXqKodITmA
LeBron's agent didn't put Braun, and he didn't even put Watson. No, he put Johnson. Is this a huge clue to the Nuggets that they have to hang onto Johnson instead of salary dumping him to hang onto Peyton Watson? I would assume so. LeBron wants the best squad intact to win, and the Nuggets aren't getting better this year if they trade Johnson for draft picks.
Paul knows the Nuggets' financial situation. If it said Watson, then that changes this entire conversation. But it doesn't. It says Johnson.
It's surprising that it doesn't say, Watson. Paul's Klutch Sports represents P-Wat, too. Paul already knows the Nuggets plan to bring back Watson, so maybe he put Johnson up on the board as a stealthy clue of how to proceed? So proceed into the second apron, Nuggets. It's the best choice.
The Nuggets' lineup would be spectacular, but costly
Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, LeBron James, Jamal Murray. In the perfect world, Peyton Watson is the Sixth Man of the Year, and the Nuggets trade Christian Braun for a rim protector off the bench. Even if they don't trade Braun, that's a strong seven deep. Marvin Bagley III is backing up Gordon and Joker, and Julian Strawther would literally have one of the GOATs to show him how to develop at his position.
The whole equation is changed. The Nuggets are loaded. That rotation is fantastic because the Nuggets can use LeBron as a ball-handler. They got a little better inside with Bagley over Valanciunas, and it's truly the deepest and most athletic lineup the Nuggets will have a chance at, all because of LeBron. Plus, a healthy Gordon and Watson are a huge defensive upgrade that was missing against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
However, that lineup will be costly. The Nuggets are already right up against the second apron and well past the luxury tax threshold without having re-signed Watson, or adding LeBron on a veteran minimum contract, or filling out the roster with at least one more player, or two more should they cut ties with Jonas Valanciunas.
The taxes that kick in would be substantial, even into the nine-digit range. But there are teams that have paid that much before, and in 2021-22, the Golden State Warriors won the championship with an estimated $170 million tax bill. The Nuggets are certainly owned by a group that can afford it. Now they just need to follow the literal map and hang onto Johnson for their best chance to land LeBron to repeat that Warriors success.
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