LeBron James has the chance to hit free agency in 2014 and teams will be salivating at the chance to sign him and ones like the Cleveland Cavaliers after winning the draft lottery, the NY Knicks, LA Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets all could be in the mix depending on how it plays out and while he likely remain in South Beach, players like Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Dirk Nowitzki could factor into the decision.
James is coming off of another great season with the Miami Heat and all signs point to him staying with the franchise along with Wade and possibly Bosh, but if the team loses in the east finals or in the championships, things could be up in the air. The Knicks have a dream of signing LeBron, but it will never happen since they don't have the cap space and he has no reason to go there, while the Bulls are aiming high, targeting both Anthony and James this offseason. While the Bulls may not get either player, ESPN.com reports they will be looking at both along with Kevin Love and they could be major players this offseason.
Anthony will be a factor in what James does this offseason, as teams going after Melo can't afford to sign both players and that could mean teams like the Lakers and Bulls have big choices to make. The Houston Rockets likely will not be going after James, but they reportedly are in the mix for Anthony and that could be a huge move as well. For the Bulls to get into the mix for any of those names, they will have to move Carlos Boozer and likely Taj Gibson, while the Rockets have more they need to do.
The Rockets have been mentioned as an option for James as well as Anthony and they also could be in the mix for the Kevin Love trade along with Rajon Rondo. Yeah, GM Daryl Morey loves everyone. The Rockets have talent and a ton of money tied up in Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin and to pull off the trade for either Love or Rondo or to sign one of the big names, the team will have to get creative. The team may be forced to deal Chandler Parsons and they do not want to do that, while Asik and Lin would have to go, as they are making a ton of money and are in the last year of their contracts. The expiring contracts may save Morey, as that could actually get a team to pull off the move.
James has won MVPs and championships in Miami and he doesn't have much left to prove in that city and that is why some think that James could bolt for another franchise. It's very unlikely, but James could go to the Bulls and try to carve out a nice piece of history there alongside Derrick Rose, while he also could go to the Lakers and try to save them from the terrible hole they have dug for themselves. The uncertainty on these teams is one reason why James will likely stay and on top of that, the Heat are committed to building around him and they likely will keep wade as well, which is favorable for James.
