LeBron James' Knicks link now comes with a championship-sized complication.
Rich Paul said that if New York had not just won the title, there would be no board of possible James destinations. In Paul's words: "He'd be going to the Knicks."
The point was not that New York lacks appeal. It was the opposite. Paul framed the Knicks as such a natural landing spot that their first championship in 54 years changed the whole conversation. Once LeBron enters a team, even a champion, the room changes.
"When LeBron comes onto your team, I don't care if you just won a championship, I don't care if you've been the best player... it's different," Paul said.
That is where Jalen Brunson becomes the real hinge. Paul said Brunson would have to pick up the phone and make clear there was no issue, because "it's Jalen Brunson's show" and he has earned that right.
So the Knicks are not being discussed like a desperate suitor. They are being discussed like a champion with its own hierarchy to protect. That may be the only reason a LeBron-to-New-York story is still a question instead of a straight line.
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