Fans Sound Off on LeBron's Surprise Lakers Decision amid Warriors, Cavs Rumors in NBA Free Agency

LeBron James shocked the basketball world on Tuesday by deciding to depart the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.

James' agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN's Shams Charania that LeBron informed the Lakers that they can pursue other options via free agency and trade due to his intention to sign elsewhere.

After news of James' impending departure broke, Lakers governor Jeanie Buss expressed her gratitude for LeBron's contributions to the organization:

With arguably the greatest player in NBA history choosing to write another new chapter in his iconic career, there was naturally a great deal of reaction on social media:

With James leaving the Lakers after eight seasons, two teams have seemingly emerged as the most likely landing spot for him.

Chief among them is the Golden State Warriors, who are known to have a longstanding interest in landing the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

ESPN's Shams Charania (h/t ESPN's Anthony Slater) reported Monday that Draymond Green declining his $27.6 million player option was done with an eye toward creating flexibility to potentially sign James and acquire Anthony Davis in a trade with the Washington Wizards.

During an appearance Tuesday on Get Up (h/t ClutchPoints), ESPN's Brian Windhorst cast doubt over the Davis part of the equation due to the fact that Jimmy Butler would have to be part of a trade for him.

While acquiring Davis could have potentially made the Warriors even more attractive to James, given that they share an agent and won a championship together in L.A., Golden State may be his most likely landing spot regardless.

Windhorst noted that he believes signing James is the Warriors' primary focus, and they would like to get it done as soon as Tuesday night when the NBA free-agent negotiating period opens.

Marc Stein of The Stein Line added that the Warriors are "at the front of the line in pursuit" of James, and they are doing so without a "mandate" that they must acquire Davis in order to land LeBron.

While the Warriors' ability to offer James the opportunity to play alongside Stephen Curry could make them the favorites, the Cleveland Cavaliers may also be in the mix.

James is from nearby Akron, Ohio, and he has already spent 11 years with the Cavs over the course of two separate stints.

Chris Haynes of NBA TV reported Tuesday that the Cavs do indeed have interest in another reunion with James.

Also, during an appearance last week on ESPN Cleveland, Windhorst expressed his belief that the Lakers would love to do a sign-and-trade deal with the Cavs that would net them Jarrett Allen in exchange for James:

Windhorst added the qualifier that James would have to want to sign with the Cavaliers, though, and it remains uncertain if that is the case.

Also, with James informing the Lakers that he is going to play elsewhere, a sign-and-trade may no longer be on the table unless he wants to go to Cleveland and it is the only way that the organization can accommodate him.

The Cavs reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season, and there is some thought that James could be the missing piece to get them over the top, but the allure of teaming up with Curry, Green and Co. may be too much for the Cavaliers or any other team to overcome.