NBA Free Agency Rumors: Could LeBron James Really End Up Taking His Talents to Portland?
James' connection to Nike and admiration for Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard could lure him to Portland
The Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the NBA franchises considered by many basketball fans as the ones that have legitimate shots to land LeBron James in free agency this summer.
The Rockets get mentioned because James' good friend, Chris Paul, plays for that team, and they also came within one win of toppling the dominant Golden State Warriors during the recently concluded Western Conference Finals.
James' love for Los Angeles and perceived desire to expand his media empire have many fans thinking that signing with the Lakers is a realistic option for him.
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The 76ers are believed to be in the running because they may be the best long-term option for James, as he could allow young stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to handle the bulk of the responsibilities on both ends of the floor as he enters the final stage of his career.
As for Cavaliers, that's still James' hometown team, and the pull of familiarity can be quite strong even after he's already been with the franchise for so many years.
If James ends up going to one of those teams, there will be fans who will be surprised, but only a few or maybe even none will be truly shocked.
Now, James signing with the Portland Trail Blazers would qualify as a real shocker, but could that really happen?
There were rumblings about that possibility floating around online earlier this year, and speaking recently to ESPN's David Jacoby, NBA veteran and James' former teammate with the Cavaliers Richard Jefferson brought up that scenario yet again.