Once the LeBron James sweepstakes reportedly whittled down to four teams, three were inevitably going to be left picking up the pieces.
James' announcement Friday that he is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers surprised many, but the Warriors, Heat and Cavaliers likely knew there was a real chance they had to move on without one of the NBA's all-time great players.
Now that each team knows James isn't coming, what's next?
Here's what James signing with the 76ers means for the Warriors, Heat and Cavaliers.
MORE LEBRON JAMES NEWS:
Why LeBron James took massive pay cut to sign with 76ers
First look at 76ers projected lineup with LeBron James
Winners, losers from LeBron James free agency decision
How LeBron James joining 76ers impacts NBA odds
What LeBron James signing with 76ers means for Warriors
The Warriors had dreams of reuniting James with Anthony Davis and pairing the two with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Now, the only one of those four players actually on Golden State's roster is Curry.
Green is a free agent and has been expected to re-sign with the Warriors. The organization now has the flexibility to give him a lucrative new deal, assuming that's still the plan.
The bigger question is whether the Warriors simply run it back with a team that didn't look like a legitimate contender last season. Curry is set to turn 39 years old in March, Green will be 37 years old the same month and Jimmy Butler, also set to turn 37 years old, is expected to miss the start of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL. Golden State re-signed both Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford to fill out its frontcourt, added rookie Yaxel Lendeborg and still has Brandin Podziemski set to play a large role in the backcourt.
When healthy, that's a competitive team -- but even in the best-case scenario, it's not a team that should be expected to compete with the Thunder or Spurs in the spring.
The Warriors could look to trade Butler's bloated contract for another star, but who's available? The Wizards wouldn't bite on Anthony Davis, and most stars who were dangled for trades have already been dealt. Golden State might be stuck hoping for the best with a roster dominated by age and health concerns.
MORE LEBRON JAMES NEWS:
Will 76ers trade for Bronny James?
What number will LeBron James wear for 76ers?
Here's how much money LeBron James has made in career
What LeBron James signing with 76ers means for Heat
Missing out on James stings for the Heat, but they likely didn't acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo with the expectation that they were getting the 41-year-old to take his talents to South Beach a second time.
The fit would have been awkward, given how frontcourt-dominant Miami would have had to be and how little James would have done to address the team's shooting concerns.
The Heat can't add much else at this point in the offseason, but they at least maintain some flexibility to focus on building a capable frontcourt that can feed into the duo of Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt. Davion Mitchell and Tim Hardaway Jr. are set to start in the backcourt, with Andrew Wiggins on the wing and the All-Star duo up front. Mid-range master DeMar DeRozan could be a potential addition, according to the Miami Herald.
No, the Heat haven't yet fixed what could be a fatal shooting flaw, but James wouldn't have been the one to fix it.
What LeBron James signing with 76ers means for Cavs
Purely from a depth chart perspective, James would have been an easy fit with the Cavaliers: they needed someone to fill the small forward role, and little else. With James deciding against a return to Cleveland and Dean Wade also in Philadelphia after the Cavaliers tried to retain him, some combination of Max Strus, Jaylon Tyson and Sam Merrill will fill that role alongside Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Speaking of Harden, the former MVP is actually still a free agent. The Cavaliers were waiting out James' decision but now can re-sign him with some more flexibility. There were some rumors that James was seeking an upgrade that could have landed Harden with a different team via trade, but all expectations now will be that Harden returns.
Once that scenario plays out, the Cavaliers will be more or less the team they were last season, minus Wade. Cleveland hasn't made any notable addition other than adding Meleek Thomas in the second round of the draft, and it's likely too late in the offseason for a meaningful addition unless president Koby Altman wants to get creative.
The Cavaliers might believe they can continue to progress deeper into the playoffs and make the leap to the NBA Finals, but after being swept in the Eastern Conference Finals, they stayed put while the East changed rapidly around them.