If LeBron James wants to stop the Warriors, should he consider joining the Utah Jazz?

The likelihood is next to non-existent, but from a basketball standpoint, LeBron James would have a hard time finding many better options in free agency than the Utah Jazz.

I know, I know. You’ve only just read the headline and you already think I’m crazy. “There’s no way LeBron James would even consider joining the Utah Jazz,” you probably uttered. And you’re absolutely right. The chances of Utah securing The King’s services next season are probably only slightly slimmer than Cleveland’s chances of securing the NBA title this year. In other words, not good at all.

But although it isn’t bound to happen, it doesn’t change the fact that uniting with the Utah Jazz could very well be one of the better options for LeBron James in free agency if he hopes to conquer the seemingly indomitable Golden State Warriors. Sure, there’s still plenty of NBA Finals left to go, but after a blown Game 1 and now facing a 2-0 deficit to arguably the best team the league has ever seen, I think it’s safe to predict that James will fall victim to the Warriors once again.

That’s no knock on him whatsoever. Between a supporting cast that has struggled while facing one of the greatest collaboration of stars we’ve ever witnessed, it’s hard to see a scenario where LeBron could defeat them in his present circumstances. And more likely than not, barring an incredible free agency period on Cleveland’s part and some extreme luck in the 2018 NBA Draft, LeBron will need to join another squad next season to have any hope of getting over the Warriors hump.

If he does leave Cleveland to do just that, many have presumed that he’ll wind up in Houston, teaming up with his good friend Chris Paul on the team that had the best record in basketball this past season and pushed Golden State to a Game 7 without Paul playing in the final two contests. Others have suggested that perhaps he’ll team up with other stars under the bright lights of Los Angeles and help return the Lakers to their glory days.

Still others think that he could join the Philadelphia 76ers and their promising young core while remaining in the less daunting Eastern Conference.

The Utah Jazz have neither Chris Paul, nor the reigning best regular season record in basketball, nor the appeal of the Eastern Conference, nor those aforementioned bright lights of LA. But what they do have is an All-NBA Defensive center, an incredible coach who’s up for Coach of the Year, a young star in Donovan Mitchell with a sky-high potential that would make for a great teammate, a hard-nosed defense and a team-first culture that’s poised to do great things.

I don’t know that you could say that LeBron’s current Cleveland team can check a single one of those boxes.

Not only that, but the Jazz showed this past season that they are arguably the third best team in the West, just one impact player away from truly being a challenger for an NBA title. The Jazz supporting cast would provide James with the help he needs as well as a coaching staff and style in which he could thrive.

Just imagine a starting lineup of Ricky Rubio, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, LeBron James and Rudy Gobert. Rubio and James facilitating would be breathtaking. Mitchell helping LeBron to shoulder the scoring load would be dynamic. Joe Ingles finding more space for open threes would be deadly. And allowing guys like Ingles, Gobert, Jae Crowder and Thabo Sefolosha to chip in defensively would not only maintain Utah’s stalwart defense, but prevent The King from having to do too much as is clearly a problem on his current squad.

The Jazz have long talked about the need for a play-making stretch-four. Imagine instead if that role was filled by LeBron James. Any complaints anyone?

Not to mention, I don’t think it’s a stretch to presume that the best moment of LeBron’s career may have very well been when he brought an NBA Championship home to Cleveland. True, it held special significance considering that he grew up in the area, but perhaps he could find renewed joy in helping yet another championship deprived city finally see the hardware come home. That would definitely seem more fulfilling than simply racking up more trophies in Houston, Philly or especially LA.

And while the Jazz have yet to prove they can match up against the Warriors in the postseason – they were easily swept last season – they did perform extremely well against them in the regular season this year. Not only did Utah go 3-1 against Golden State, but they handed them their two worst regular season losses. Obviously, regular season ball pales in comparison to postseason play, but the fact remains that the Jazz have found some success against the Warriors.

It’s undeniable that they have the defensive prowess to give them headaches while setting up some concerning mismatches. Throw the offensive dominance of James into the mix, who has been able to challenge or defeat the Warriors with a mediocre supporting cast and could certainly work wonders with the numerous options surrounding him on a Jazz team, and that instantly becomes a scary group.

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Unfortunately, as I’ve already mentioned, the chances of LeBron even giving the Jazz a second glance are highly unlikely. From a basketball standpoint, that’s really too bad, because as I’ve described here, it would seem to be an incredibly exciting fit. However, such is the nature of small market teams in the NBA.

Despite their best efforts and appealing circumstances, the Jazz likely won’t have what it takes to lure a guy like LeBron James into their mix this summer. Nevertheless, that doesn’t change the fact that the Jazz are slowly but surely building a highly respected reputation for themselves. And I imagine that sooner rather than later, they’ll be able to attract some top talent into their fold.

And once that happens, watch out. The Jazz are already on the cusp of greatness, if they add that one missing piece in an upcoming free agency period, they’re going to be extremely dangerous for the foreseeable future.