AP Photo

The decision LeBron James ultimately makes on where to sign and spend the next three-six years will be extremely revealing about how he prioritizes his career both on and off the floor.

He essentially has five options, each with its advantages, disadvantages and challenges.

The Short-Term Path

Even though they will have to fill their roster with ring chasers, joining with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami is his quickest way to a title if they are open to signing for slightly less than the max. Winning in the first year will prove difficult because of their inability to add important role players, but there is little doubt in my mind that a team featuring three of the top seven or eight players in the NBA would be difficult to contend against.

The formula for winning titles is clear; have one of the top players in the game and a legitimate All-Star as his No. 2. We really haven't seen a trio like this before, at least not in their prime.

A more balanced team would help guarantee a cleaner path to a title, but let's not forget the absence of a legitimate supporting cast outside of Shaq and Kobe during their run, along with the role players that typically surround Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker in San Antonio.

The problem with joining the Heat is the advanced age, plus wear and tear of Wade. It is hard to see him remaining in the top-five when his athleticism begins to decline unless his jumper improves all of a sudden, or if he becomes more of a facilitator.

The Three-Dream Team would have a scary run and should win multiple titles, but their ability to draft and retool on the fly will be the determining factor on whether or not they fade to a team like the Thunder.

I think LeBron's legacy as one of the top-five players is permanently scarred if he goes to the Heat with two other franchise players regardless of the number of titles won. It also is difficult to envision LeBron playing in Miami for the entire duration of his career and become synonymous with that town and franchise the way he would in other situation.

The Easiest Path

Depending on their ability to sign another superstar, or several role players, the Bulls should provide the best long-term stability in terms of competing for a title on an annual basis for the next decade.

Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah provide an excellent foundation as supplemental stars even if the former is probably not the best fit for LeBron's game.

The market is big enough and the Bulls brand is already arguably the biggest in the NBA worldwide, both of which matter to LeBron.

There are only two important questions here:

How soon would Rose and Noah be ready to compete for a title? Both are close to their primes, but not quite all the way there, which can be frightening for the remainder of the NBA.

Will LeBron be comfortable not having the kind of control he enjoyed in Cleveland? He had almost the complete run of the place, but Jerry Reinsdorf never handed over the team to Michael Jordan and that's one thing sources have stressed to me is an important factor with the Bulls.

The Long-Term Path

The Nets potentially have the best power forward/center combo in the NBA in Derrick Favors and Brook Lopez. They easily could be top-five players at each position if Lopez isn't already. The team also has a valuable asset in Devin Harris who can be traded for another player, but he actually would be a good fit next to LeBron and his defense would uptick to where it was in Dallas.

In Courtney Lee, Terrence Williams and Damion James, the Nets have a couple nice role wing players already in place.

Mikhail Prokorov's resources cannot be underestimated and he didn't come all the way to the United States to make money. This is a vanity project for him and his entire mission will be to accept Larry O'Brien trophies and become one of the world's top three or four celebrity businessmen.

The Nets probably won't be able to win a title until Favors develops, but they will easily win 50 games and are certainly on a fast track to getting there.

The titles are one half of the long-term equation, with the other being whether or not LeBron wants to spend two seasons in Newark until the Brooklyn arena is built. There is juice in the building wherever LeBron plays, but it won't be the same in non-playoff games as it would be in Brooklyn and especially not in New York.

The Sisyphus Path

The most potentially glamourous and world conquering path for LeBron to pick would be to sign with the Knicks. The have won just two titles in an NBA that has been dominated by big city teams and the past decade has been pure agony for New York fans. He would be the conquerer and the savior all at once, while testing his ability as an all-time great individually.

The ability for New York to sign a second max contract player, or two very good role players should make the Knicks capable of winning 50-55 games, but I don't think the incumbent supporting cast of Danilo Gallinari, Toney Douglas, Wilson Chandler and Bill Walker is strong enough to get to a title in Year 1.

The question to be determined is what the Knicks are capable of doing with the expiring contract of Eddy Curry, fondly called ECEC or EC-Squared. If New York is able to convert him into a defensive big like Andris Biedrins or Emeka Okafor, then that becomes a title contender right away, but that would be the most optimistic option for the team. They could also let Curry expire while avoiding signing any of the minimum level free agents to multi-year deals to preserve cap space for Carmelo Anthony, Yao Ming or another member of that free agent class.

The Money/Inertia Path

The position of the Cavaliers in terms of being amenable to a sign-and-trade is an interesting one. If LeBron knows that his only six-year, max contract option is to remain with the Cavaliers, then that changes the equation at least slightly for him. We have always assumed the monetary difference would be far less important to LeBron in comparison to the other free agents, but his endorsement dollars are trending downwards as his hairline recedes backwards.

In terms of winning, it is almost impossible to see where the Cavaliers can improve more than just incrementally over the next couple of years.

Leaving Cleveland would be extremely painful for LeBron given his love for the franchise and his love for northeast Ohio, but it would be one of the most remarkable selfless acts in sports history.

Chris Reina is the executive editor of RealGM. Follow him on Twitter at @CR_Reina.