‘Buzz’ reportedly linking LeBron James to surprise team in NBA free agency

It’s not yet sure whether LeBron James will opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and hit NBA free agency .

James, 39, has a $51.42 million player opton for next season. Most reports indicate that he’ll opt out, only to re-sign with the Lakers on a multi-year deal.

Even then, the unknown situation surrounding the Lakers could create a scenario in which LeBron actually leaves once the open market gets going early next month. They have yet to hire a head coach to replace the recently fired Darvin Ham. Los Angeles is coming off an ugly first-round exit in the NBA Playoffs. The team is nowhere near a top-end title contender right now.

Could it lead to James packing up and joining another team? We’ve seen stranger things happen around the NBA world.

Related: Ranking the 10-best LeBron James landing spots this summer

Phoenix Suns now linked to LeBron James in NBA free agency

NBA insider Bill Simmons of The Ringer provided an interesting tidit when it comes to this situation. Simmons notes that “there’s a lot of Phoenix buzz right now. I’m just going to say it. And I don’t know if it’s real or not.”

This seems to be pretty ridiculous on the surface. Phoenix is a projected $100 million over the 2024 NBA salary cap. The trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are slated to count a combined $150 million against said cap.

Short of the Lakers and Suns coming together on a sign-and-trade or James taking the veteran minimum, this is not going to happen.

What it does do is tell us that James’ camp might very well be putting pressure on the Lakers heading into the summer. He’s entering the back end of his career and wants to compete for a title. With information like this coming out, that pressure is now public record.

It should be interesting to see what happens on this front. That’s for sure.

More must-reads:

• New York Knicks reportedly may have blown golden opportunity to re-sign OG Anunoby ahead NBA free agency
• Los Angeles Lakers reportedly prioritizing upgrade at specific position in free agency or NBA Draft
• Phoenix Suns NBA Draft plans revealed: A look at 4 options