LeBron James Rumors: Jerry West Could Help Bring LeBron To Los Angeles Clippers ‘Super Team’ In 2018

LeBron James is rumored to be considering a move out west to join a new super team with the Los Angeles Clippers, and Jerry West may be the man who makes it happen.

The Clippers just announced a deal bringing on West as a consultant, with immediate reports that drawing James away from Cleveland is at the top of his to-do list. There could already be some pieces in place to attract LeBron to Los Angeles. James and West have forged a close relationship, and James is also close friends with Clippers point guard Chris Paul.

As USA Today Sports reported, the Clippers are ready to make a major move for LeBron.

“According to two people with knowledge of the situation, West’s potential ability to improve the Clippers’ chances of landing the Cleveland Cavaliers star in free agency in the summer of 2018 was a significant factor in his hiring and in the willingness of owner Steve Ballmer to pay West between $4 and $5 million annually. The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the team’s plans.”

There could already be some evidence to support the rumor that LeBron James will be coming to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2018. As Yahoo Sports noted, LeBron maintains a residence in Los Angeles, and there are rumors that his wife is itching to move there on a year-round basis.

There have been rumors that LeBron James may be growing unhappy with the situation playing out in Cleveland, where general manager David Griffin just came out on the losing end of a front office power struggle. And for all the talent alongside James with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, it was very clear from the NBA Finals that Cleveland still isn’t equipped to match with the Golden State Warriors.

As the Washington Post noted, the firing of David Griffin in Cleveland and the hiring of Jerry West in Los Angeles could be the two events that set LeBron’s move out west into motion.

“If James — still the NBA’s best player even as he enters a season in which he’ll turn 33 — decides to leave Cleveland for a second time, Monday will be the day we look back upon as the tipping point, the moment when his potential departure began to take shape,” the report noted.

Report: Clippers hired Jerry West as team consultant with hope he'll help lure LeBron James. https://t.co/cdVPBfiHnN pic.twitter.com/7JS6TZzUu6

— theScore (@theScore) June 20, 2017

If LeBron James were to move to the Los Angeles Clippers, he could form a “super team” that may have a better chance to rival the Golden State Warriors, joining All-Star point guard Chris Paul and the possibility of either (or both) of Paul George or Russel Westbrook coming over as well, as they both have West Coast ties.

Could this team challenge the Warriors?https://t.co/tgIYMUNN1l

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 17, 2017

If the rumors turn out to be true and LeBron James does leave for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2018, it may not be as bitter a departure as when he left Cleveland for the Miami Heat in 2010. LeBron has already delivered the city’s first title in half a century, and the Cavs are reportedly gearing up to make one last all-out run for the title in the upcoming season, with reports that the team is targeting Paul George and Jimmy Butler.

[Featured Image by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]