The viral ‘LeBron Whiteboard’ has spiced up the annual offseason activity of watching where LeBron James goes. Now that James has actually walked into unrestricted free agency, trade-watch is even more intense. So when Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul mapped out his close friend’s future destinations on a whiteboard, media analysts had to question just why the aging superstar was overshadowing the entire free agency conversation.

Paul’s public outlining of realistic free-agent teams for James on the Game Over podcast is being criticized as a stunt. Fox Sports Radio analyst DJ Alex Teichert blasted the 4x MVP, criticizing the display, while speaking to hosts Mike Harmon and Jared Smith. Teichert pretty much accused James of hurting franchises to manage his personal brand.

“He wants to be the all-time leader in pretty much everything,” Teichert stated. “He keeps trying to convince the people who are inconvincible he’s the greatest. He’s been playing for a Laker team that’s literally been crippled because of him, because Post-Kobe they gave him his farewell, let him stay as long as he want.”

He specifically pointed to his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. While most hold GM Rob Pelinka accountable for not providing James with enough depth, Teichert argues that the fixation on James is compromising the modern teams and young talent. According to him, a situation like Rich Paul’s board keeps the league too focused on nostalgia instead of building on the new generation.

Because of that, Teichert questions, “Why are we just allowing LeBron to hold the league hostage?…  We’re stuck on this thing of, the facade of, ‘the greatness is here, and we have to appreciate it before it’s gone.'”

Indicative of the media’s shifting perspectives with King James’ historic longevity, Teichert expressed frustration that franchises are sacrificing their developmental timelines and long-term asset management simply to remain in the veteran superstar’s orbit.

An example could be the Golden State Warriors’ 11th-overall draft pick, Yaxel Lendeborg, fearing he would be traded to make a superteam with LeBron, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, and Draymond Green happen.

Teichert bluntly says, “You’re too stuck in the past. So with LeBron, we’re stuck on this thing about, ‘he’s so great, we’re going to miss him when he’s gone.’ He’s already gone…”

The question of what LeBron actually brings on the court these days still gets people fired up. Sure, the numbers stay clean, but a lot of people are quick to point out that without a real running mate, the deep playoff runs just haven’t been there since that 2020 bubble title.

The hosts agreed with Teichert, adding that James commands an immense amount of “oxygen” wherever he lands. Just like how Paul’s whiteboard puts Bron in the center of multiple scenarios.

Paul’s whiteboard revealed that the 76ers became frontrunners to acquire James after they secured Jaylen Brown. Age is also a factor in Paul not seeing his client go to the Warriors.

Worse, the Cavaliers have fallen out of contention because they no longer have Darius Garland. Meanwhile, the Knicks have been ruled out because Bron won’t mess with championship chemistry right after the title.