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Brian Windhorst: 'LeBron James Is Pretty Focused on Los Angeles or Cleveland'
June 29, 2018
Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is reportedly set to choose between remaining with the Cavs or joining the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent.
On Friday, Brian Windhorst of ESPN noted James is "pretty focused on Los Angeles or Cleveland" and turned down offers to meet with some NBA teams, per Bleacher Report's Ryan Cole.
The update came after Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reported the four-time MVP's agent informed Cleveland he's going to decline the player option in his contract to hit the open market.
It's not a major surprise since the Lakers and Cavaliers have appeared to lead the LeBron sweepstakes for awhile.
The latest betting lines from OddsShark show Los Angeles (-155) as the favorite to sign the NBA's gold standard followed by Cleveland (+200). The next team on the list is the Philadelphia 76ers (+550).
It's important to remember James' own comments as the speculation continues to heat up, though.
"If you don't hear something coming from my voice, then it's not true," he told reporters in February. "I don't give a damn how close they are [as a source], I don't care if it's my kids, or my wife or whatever. If it's not from me, it's not true."
That said, there's been little to indicate so far he's strongly considering a team other than the Cavs or Lakers.
If he leaves for L.A. and is joined by other stars, potentially led by the likes of Kawhi Leonard or Paul George, an already loaded Western Conference will feature another NBA Finals contender.