So far, LeBron James‘s decision of next destination remains undecided. Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, James Harden, and Jaylen Brown, among others, have all made their pitches for the 22-time All-Star. But the New York Knicks captain refused to join the bidding.

“You guys want to know? You guys are gonna love me for this. I got asked this question recently, and I answered it perfectly,” said Brunson about pitching for LeBron during the live NightCap show at the Fanatics Fest in NY. “Truthfully, my job is to go out there, dribble the ball, put the ball in the hoop, and play a little defense. There are people who are above who determine who’s on the team and who’s not. So I’ll leave that, I’ll leave the pitching to them.”

The reason for not pitching also coincides with LeBron James’ agent confirming that his client won’t move to the Big Apple. Rich Paul, speaking on his “Game Over” podcast with co-host Max Kellerman, revealed why the chance for Bron to move to New York was over.

“If the Knicks hadn’t won [the championship], there would be no board,” the Klutch Sports Group founder said, referencing the whiteboard which displayed ten teams for LeBron James’ next destination. “He’d be going to the Knicks.”

Surely, Jalen Brunson and the front office would have discussed the possibility. But stripping the championship side was not on the table. The moves from the Knicks also indicate their priority of retaining the majority of the roster.

They re-signed Jordan Clarkson to a one-year, $3.9 million deal. Even guard Landry Shamet signed a new four-year, $24 million deal. And Mohamed Diawara reportedly signed a multiyear, $10-plus million deal to return to the New York Knicks.

Because ownership refused to pay the second apron tax, the Knicks couldn’t retain Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti.

Robinson and Hukporti instead agreed to three-year, $47.4 million deals with the Boston Celtics and one-year, $3.4 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, respectively.

The Knicks front office replaced the center spot with free agent center Andre Drummond on a one-year, $3.9 million deal. Even their recent move in the front office aligns with what Jalen Brunson indicated: there is no interest in LeBron James.

The Knicks’ next move is also to address the center position. They have offered restricted free agent Moussa Cisse a two-year contract. Now, the Mavericks can match the 2.5 million offer sheet by 11:59 pm on Monday.

If they don’t, it means the Knicks will have all 15 stars on guaranteed contracts. Meaning they lose the ability to sign their draft picks to contracts at the second-round minimum, but they would also stay under the 2nd apron.

But Tyler Nickel and Jack Ayil can agree to two-way deals to play with the Knicks for the 2026-2027 season. It’s clear that Rich Paul’s words about the Knicks not being an option echoed throughout the decision-making process. That’s why the captain and Finals MVP, Jalen Brunson, did not pitch to the four-time NBA champion.