The world was sent into a frenzy last week when a photograph emerged with LeBron James, his longtime business partner, Maverick Carter, and Nikola Jokic's agent, Misko Raznatovic, sitting together on a yacht.

James has made been very public about his goal of one day owning an NBA team. He's even targeted a city: Las Vegas. He's publicly lobbied for control of an expansion franchise in the desert for years, and for years, his odds of getting that team looked very strong. But two things have changed of late, and neither work in his favor.