{"id":205069,"date":"2026-07-13T18:13:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T22:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=205069"},"modified":"2026-07-13T18:13:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T22:13:48","slug":"lebron-james-ant-duo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/07\/13\/lebron-james-ant-duo\/","title":{"rendered":"4x All-Star Names Timberwolves As His Favorite Landing Spot for LeBron James"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Minnesota Timberwolves remain part of the conversation surrounding <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a>, even if they are not viewed as the favorite to sign him. Several teams are expected to pursue the four-time NBA champion after he decided to leave the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/07\/13\/lakers-ziaire-williams\/\" target=\"_self\">Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>. While much of the attention has focused on possible Eastern Conference destinations, former All Star <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/couside01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DeMarcus Cousins<\/a> believes Minnesota offers the most exciting basketball fit.<\/p>\n<h2>4x All-Star Names Timberwolves As His Favorite Landing Spot for LeBron James<\/h2>\n<h3>DeMarcus Cousins Likes the Wolves-LeBron Fit<\/h3>\n<p>Not every opinion during free agency comes from executives or league insiders. Former players often view roster construction through a basketball lens rather than a financial one. That was the case when Cousins shared his thoughts during NBA Summer League.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"de\" dir=\"ltr\">DeMarcus Cousins Boogie Lebron wolves timberwolves <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GYE9eEMWaK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/GYE9eEMWaK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Moonball (@moonball30) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/moonball30\/status\/2076483444461248621?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 13, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Asked where he would like to see James play next, Cousins did not hesitate.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Minnesota,&#8221; he replied. &#8220;I want to see Bron in Minnesota with Ant Man. I think Bron in Minnesota with Ant Man would be must-watch TV. They added LaMelo Ball, who&#8217;s also another exciting player. You put those three characters together, I think we in for some good ball, and possibly a championship run.&#8221; His answer focused less on contracts and more on how entertaining that trio could become together.<\/p>\n<h3>Minnesota Already Has a Strong Core<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: 800px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBASCir32t\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 3000px; aspect-ratio: 3000\/2183;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p>The Timberwolves have spent the offseason building around <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/edwaran01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Edwards<\/a> rather than starting over. Trading for <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/ballla01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LaMelo Ball<\/a> gave the team another playmaker who could create offense without taking pressure off Edwards, the franchise&#8217;s centerpiece. Minnesota also continues to rely on <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcdanja02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaden McDaniels<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/goberru01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rudy Gobert<\/a> to anchor one of the league&#8217;s better defenses.<\/p>\n<p>Adding James would not require him to carry the team every night. Instead, he could fill the role of veteran playmaker and late-game decision maker while sharing responsibilities with two younger stars. That balance is one reason many around the league believe Minnesota can make a serious playoff run &#8212; regardless of whether James arrives.<\/p>\n<h3>LeBron James Would Change the Offense<\/h3>\n<p>Minnesota finished last season with the NBA&#8217;s 13th-ranked <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/06\/07\/timberwolves-offense\/\" target=\"_self\">offense<\/a>. The front office addressed that weakness by acquiring Ball, whose passing should create easier scoring chances across the roster. Even without another move, the Timberwolves expect their offense to improve next season.<\/p>\n<p>Adding James would raise the ceiling even higher. His ability to read defenses and create looks for teammates remains among the league&#8217;s best despite his age. Playing alongside Ball would also help solve <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/27\/timberwolves-recovery-plan\/\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota<\/a>&#8216;s problems while reducing the workload James carried during his final seasons with the Lakers. That combination could give the Wolves one of the hardest offenses to guard.<\/p>\n<h3>The Biggest Question Remains<\/h3>\n<p>The basketball fit is only one part of the discussion. Reports have linked James to several contenders, with many expecting him to favor an Eastern Conference team where the path to the Finals may be less demanding. Minnesota also faces financial limits that would require James to accept a much smaller contract than the salaries he&#8217;s earned throughout his career.<\/p>\n<p>Those hurdles explain why the Timberwolves are not viewed as the leading destination. Still, the organization has already reshaped its roster around Edwards and Ball, leaving one clear opportunity if James decides winning is his only priority. Until his decision becomes official, Minnesota will remain one of the teams watching closely.<\/p>\n<h3>Why the Idea Persists<\/h3>\n<p>The Timberwolves have reached the playoffs consistently but are still searching for the move that puts them over the top. James may no longer be the player who carries a roster by himself, yet he remains one of basketball&#8217;s smartest and most complete veterans. His experience alone could help a team with championship ambitions.<\/p>\n<p>That is why Cousins&#8217; comments stand out. Whether that scenario becomes reality is another question, but Minnesota&#8217;s combination of young stars and veteran talent makes it easy to understand why the idea continues to attract attention.<\/p>\n<p><span>\u00a9 Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Minnesota Timberwolves remain part of the conversation surrounding LeBron James, even if they are not viewed as the favorite to sign him. Several teams are expected to pursue the four-time NBA champion after he decided to leave the Los Angeles Lakers. While much of the attention has focused on possible Eastern Conference destinations, former [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5867,"featured_media":205098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,21,62,3],"tags":[2109,2559,823,38,394],"class_list":["post-205069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-timberwolves","category-nba","category-news","tag-anthony-edwards","tag-jaden-mcdaniels","tag-lamelo-ball","tag-lebron-james","tag-rudy-gobert"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5867"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205069"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205069\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":205099,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205069\/revisions\/205099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}