As the NBA free agency market is set to open up on July 1, there are quite a few rumors swirling about the two names headlining this offseason. LeBron James and Paul George are both free agents and there are plenty of options for them to choose from. Both players have been rumored to be interested in leaving their current teams, while there have also been reports that they are strongly considering staying with those teams.
Paul George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder last offseason by the Indiana Pacers. Oklahoma City was unable to live up to the hype that surrounded them and was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round. James and the Cavaliers, on the other hand, made it to the NBA Finals before being swept by the Golden State Warriors.
Looking ahead at free agency, there are quite a few reports that have connected James and George. Many believe that the two players would like to play with each other.
Both players have been rumored to be considering signing with the Los Angeles Lakers. Magic Johnson and the Lakers have put themselves in a position to sign two and possibly acquire a third max contract. That could allow them to sign James and George while also going out and acquiring a player like Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs.
All of that being said, yet another prediction that the Lakers will sign both George and James has surfaced.
ESPN story reported with @WindhorstESPN and @ramonashelburne : As LeBron James’ Friday deadline to enter free agency looms, pressure mounts for Lakers to acquire Kawhi Leonard in a trade. https://t.co/1aBSqbyCOB
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2018
Bleacher Report made the prediction that both players will sign in L.A. in their latest free agency predictions. It is a bold prediction, but one that makes perfect sense and certainly could come to fruition.
James and George would be an ideal match for each other if they were to sign with the same team. It was obvious last year that “The King” could use a lockdown defender on his team. George may not be the best perimeter defender in the game, but he is more than capable of slowing down players like Kevin Durant.
Even at 34-years-old, James is playing the best basketball of his career. In the playoffs, James took his game to a level no one had seen it, averaging 34.0 points per game to go along with 9.1 rebounds and 9.0 assists. George, on the other hand, had a solid all-around season for the Thunder, putting up 21.9 points per game, while also chipping in 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
It is still possible that James and George stick with their current teams, but teaming up in Los Angeles would make a lot of sense for both players.
Expect to hear plenty of rumors over the next week or two surrounding both James and George. Both players have big decisions to make and perhaps playing with each other in L.A. will be the one they come to.
