After Giannis Antetokounmpo’s blockbuster trade, the future of LeBron James remains one of the most captivating storylines of this offseason. Most have safely ruled out retirement. But it remains to be seen which team James ends up with. While the popular choices remain staying with the Los Angeles Lakers or having a sentimental reunion with the Cavaliers, there’s another idea.

The Heat now have Giannis and Bam as an elite frontcourt foundation. With smart moves and LeBron potentially on a mid-level deal, they could quickly become serious contenders in the East. Notorious LeBron fan and close friend Shannon Sharpe just needs Pat Riley to pull another blockbuster. Sharpe, Chado “Ochocinco” Johnson, and Joe “Iso Joe” Johnson made a compelling case for Bron to head to the Heat.

“I will say this about LeBron, he is one of the most forgiving people that I know,” Sharpe stated on a recent episode of Nightcap.

Steering a fantasy trade idea into an apparently off-topic conversation about James’ capacity for forgiveness. It was worth seeing the confused expressions of Ocho and Iso Joe waiting for Sharpe to continue.

“Considering what Dan Gilbert said about this man when he left and for him to take out a full-page ad, and with talking and he gave interviews, belittling and dismissive… for him to set all of that aside and to go back… If he can forgive Dan Gilbert for the things he said, you can forgive Pat Riley for throwing the cookies in the trash… Pat know what that man represent. Pat said ‘I’ll leave the key under the doormat if he wanna come back.’ Pat knows what that man represents.”

The mention of the ‘cookie’ incident did amuse Ocho and Joe. The cookie story functions as Sharpe’s parallel to Gilbert’s infamous letter. Both are perceived slights that LeBron has, in each case, had to consciously decide to move past.

While other teams like the Warriors can offer a team-up with Stephen Curry and the convenience of staying closer to LA, Bron’s return to Miami depends on clearing that emotional ledger and Sharpe’s argument is that he has done it before.

LeBron James’ past relationships could decide his future

It’s no coincidence that Sharpe is referencing the historical fallout from LeBron James’ ‘The Decision.’ When James originally left the Cavaliers for Miami in 2010, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert penned a notorious, scathing letter in Comic Sans, labeling James’ move a “cowardly betrayal” and guaranteeing Cleveland would win a ring before the superstar did.

That didn’t happen. James won the 2012 and 2013 titles with the Heat and famously returned to Ohio after the 2014 season. He’d deliver on his promise of bringing an elusive NBA championship to the Cavaliers in 2016.

The reconciliation with Gilbert, once unthinkable, eventually became the blueprint for how LeBron navigates burned bridges: on his own timeline, for a purpose larger than the grudge.

Not only did Gilbert call his letter a “stupid” thing of the past, but he has also taken a positive stance on Bron’s return to team up with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden in multiple interviews.

LeBron returning there risks the same role ambiguity he faces in LA, a side piece in someone else’s story. Miami, with Giannis as a co-star rather than a franchise centerpiece, offers a structure where LeBron could lead again.

At the same time, Pat Riley has shown an inclination to re-sign James if he wishes to return. James and Riley’s old dynamic was on full display when the Lakers honored the Showtime shotcaller with his own statue in Crypto.com Arena.

That was fresh after Heat legend, Dwyane Wade, revealed that Riley once threw away Bron’s cookies on a team flight, which cemented James’ decision to leave Miami.

Some on the Heat side deny D-Wade’s story, but fans like to believe that the strict authoritarianism of Heat Culture indeed got under Bron’s skin.

However, Sharpe, Ocho and Joe cite Pat Riley’s statement during his statue’s installation as evidence that there’s no animosity.

Riley claimed he was willing to “leave the key under the doormat” so James could return at any time. But as usual, The Decision falls on LeBron James.