Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt
USA TODAY
Published 8:51 p.m. UTC Jun 28, 2018
This year, just like in 2010 and again in 2014, most of the NBA’s major free agent movement hinges on where LeBron James will wind up.
James can still return to Cleveland, either by opting in to the final year of his contract ahead of the 11:59 p.m. ET Friday deadline or by opting out, becoming an unrestricted free agent, and signing a longer deal with the Cavaliers. Cleveland may have an advantage in that it can offer James a five-year deal worth $200 million-plus, a deal one year longer and worth more money than any other team can offer.
But at this juncture, most of the chatter is swirling around Los Angeles. Would James be joined by Southern California natives Paul George and/or Kawhi Leonard? Don’t discount the pull of Hollywood, the lore of the Lakers and the cache of Magic Johnson or the fact that James has a home nearby. All could factor into his decision.
USA TODAY Sports’ NBA insiders Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt will offer analysis and insight on all the latest LeBron rumblings ahead of Decision 3.0.
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June 28:
Buzz: The Spurs have engaged the Lakers on a potential Kawhi Leonard deal
Amick: So, why is a Kawhi Leonard update in a LeBron tracker? Because after five years of bad basketball and one front office overhaul, the Lakers are trying desperately to align the stars. And if landing the San Antonio Spurs star means they’ll be able to convince LeBron to come to Laker Land, then maybe the Lakers would be willing to give up the farm to make this happen.
Even with the Spurs’ strong preference to send Leonard to the East, the prospect of the Lakers making a “Godfather” type offer has rival teams wondering if they can compete on this front. Let’s say they offer the young forward tandem of Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma, second-year guard Josh Hart, and multiple first-round draft picks, and also find a third team to help the Spurs unload a bad contract along the way, it will be hard for San Antonio to say no. Add in the fact that the Lakers are known to be on the lookout for another first-round pick to add into this sort of possible package, and you start to see why there’s so much noise here.
Leonard’s known preference for the Lakers is playing a significant part, too, as they can make this move with the expectation that he’ll re-sign as a free agent after next season. The same can’t be said for teams like Boston and Philadelphia that are known to have interest, and so the market gets depressed everywhere other than Los Angeles.
Some executives have wondered why the Lakers would give the Spurs so much now if they know they can get Leonard when he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2019, but therein lies the irony of the Paul George subplot. Before he was traded from Indiana to Oklahoma City last July, the Lakers resisted the urge to go all-in on their attempt to land him because it was so widely known that he wanted to join the Lakers when he hit free agency this summer. Magic Johnson was just a few months into his new job as president of basketball operations, as was general manager Rob Pelinka, and their decision to take the measured approach made all sorts of sense.
But now, with George having bonded with former MVP Russell Westbrook while raving about the Thunder organization all season long, he appears likely to return to the Thunder. And if George stays put like so many around the league expect, then it makes it all the more important that the Lakers get Leonard now. You could hear the urgency in Johnson’s voice on Tuesday, when he made a stunning statement about his future in the front office.
“This is (about) two summers,” Johnson told reporters. “We don’t know what people are going to decide, and we can’t control that. So if guys decide not to come here, it’s not a failure — we turn to next summer.
“Next summer, if nobody comes and I’m still sitting here like this, then it’s a failure. But if you judge us on one summer, that’s ridiculous. Then a lot of dudes shouldn’t be in their roles. Because if we’re banking on one summer for the Lakers, we’re in trouble. …If I can’t deliver I’m going to step down myself. She (Lakers owner Jeanie Buss) won’t have to fire me. I’ll step away from it, because (then) I can’t do this job.”
There’s no time like the present, though, so now we wait and wonder if the Lakers can pull this off.
Buzz: ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said this morning that LeBron texted Kevin Durant to gauge his interest in teaming up in Los Angeles.
Zillgitt: Smith is connected, and people talk to him. That doesn’t mean he’s always right. All indications point to Durant re-signing with the Warriors. With that said, the idea is plausible given James’ appreciation of Durant’s game and calling Durant the difference between the Cavs and the Warriors in the past two Finals. Smith acknowledged that James’ camp denied James texted Durant this morning, and USA TODAY Sports confirmed that James didn’t reach out to Durant via text, according to a person close to James. Furthermore, when Smith said during the Finals that James will have a conversation with Golden State in free agency, that was quickly shot down by James’ camp.
June 25
Buzz: The NBA awards show may have offered several clues about where James is headed
Amick: USA TODAY Sports was on the red carpet in Santa Monica and spoke to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and representatives from both the Rockets and 76ers in regards to LeBron’s future.
June 23
Buzz: Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul or Paul George could sway LeBron’s decision
Amick: USA TODAY Sports breaks down which players could impact James’ future in Los Angeles or whether the respective superstars will return to their former teams.
June 20
Buzz: LeBron’s son has already enrolled in a Los Angeles-area high school
Zillgitt: Before you jump to any conclusions about where LeBron is headed, understand that any prudent person would do their research ahead of relocating, and that might be all LeBron James is doing.
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