The "what if" moment that changed every NBA team forever

New York Knicks: What if the Knicks signed LeBron James?

The New York Knicks had high hopes in the summer of 2010, and their sights were set on Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James. While James later chose the Miami Heat, they were rumored to be the frontrunners to land him before the Heat swooped in. That was partly due to Dwyane Wade recruiting both LeBron and Bosh to South Beach, as well as the Knicks reportedly having a disastrous meeting with LeBron.

That sealed their fate as runners-up in the LeBron sweepstakes. To their credit, they did pivot to signing Amare Stoudemire away from the Phoenix Suns, and he initially played well with the Knicks. They also traded for Carmelo Anthony the following season but gave up a lot to do so.

Had they been able to seal the deal with James, then those moves would not have been necessary, with the Knicks being able to build around him without having to gut their team. Additionally, the Heatles would have never happened, and as the Celtics were fading, the Knicks would have been the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. Heck, the Knicks might have eventually won a championship if only they had made a better first impression on LeBron.