On July 18, Beijing time, Cavaliers star Harden made it clear which team he most hopes James will finish his career with. During an exclusive one-on-one interview at the New York Hot Sports Carnival today, Harden expressed his desire for the four-time champion to sign with the Cavaliers. According to earlier reports, Harden has been delaying his own contract extension while waiting for James’s decision.

On July 18th Beijing time, renowned reporter Stein cited league sources reporting that the Detroit Pistons are evaluating a plan to pursue forward DeRozan in free agency. Stein also noted that the landscape of teams chasing DeRozan will become clearer once James decides on his next team. Since multiple teams are simultaneously vying for James, those that ultimately miss out on signing him will shift their focus to pursuing DeRozan.

On July 17, Beijing time, Fortune magazine analyzed LeBron James's Decision 4.0, with the headline: The $500 Million LeBron James Sweepstakes: Five Cities Vie for the Chosen One, Banking on Him to Revitalize Their Local Economies. Here is the full article—LeBron James is long accustomed to this kind of spectacle.

On July 17, according to TA reporter Jared Weiss, the Spurs' roster is basically set, Fox is not going to be traded, and Harper is willing to continue accepting the sixth-man role.

"Treat everyone equally" — he strikes opponents hard and doesn't hold back against his own teammates either. The league's top villain lives up to his reputation. Recently, TA Pistons beat reporter Hunter Patterson wrote that the Pistons traded Stewart to the Grizzlies for three second-round picks not only to maintain salary cap flexibility but also because the guy had multiple intense conflicts with the coaching staff during this year's playoffs.

Reporter Siegel reports: Jaden Quaintance successfully underwent right knee surgery, with no return timetable. He is expected to miss the early part of next season and might not return until sometime next year. This guy was born on July 11, 2007, and is a 2.08m tall power forward/center with a 2.26m wingspan, the 20th pick in the 2026 first round. Quaintance played for Kentucky last season, averaging 16.

The Bucks officially announced the re-signing of Gary Trent Jr. According to previous reports, the two sides agreed to a four-year, $64 million fully guaranteed contract with no options included. Shortly after, renowned insider Shams reported that the NBA is investigating whether the Bucks' four-year, $64 million deal with Trent violates salary cap rules.

On July 17, Beijing time, according to US reporter Kyler Fox, Trail Blazers' new head coach Micah Nori may reshape Yang Hansen, a big man with outstanding basketball IQ. He previously successfully developed Naz Reid of the Minnesota Timberwolves, turning the undrafted player into a versatile NBA star.

Today, James attended an event and recorded "The Shop" show with Haliburton. Haliburton got straight to the point, asking James if he had decided where to go. James said they had already discussed it privately. Haliburton smiled and replied, "Okay, I won't ask any more."

Here's a fun fact: the No. 3 and No. 4 picks in this year's draft both share the same birthday—July 18th, which is tomorrow. However, the No. 3 pick, Boozer, was born in 2007, while Wilson is one year older. The two have been rivals since childhood, competing against each other from AAU leagues all the way through college. Boozer joined Duke, while Wilson went to North Carolina—and as any NCAA fan knows, Duke and UNC are legendary rivals.