LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers speaks to the media after being defeated by the Golden State Warriors during Game 4 of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland. He could play for the Lakers, 76ers or Cavs next season. Jason Miller/Getty Images

It’s been speculated for months that LeBron James could sign with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent. We’ve now reached the point that it would be considered an upset if the NBA’s best player doesn’t decide to play in L.A.

According to the latest betting odds, the Lakers are the odds-on favorites to acquire James this summer. They are followed by the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers, who both have 9/2 odds in the LeBron James Sweepstakes. The Houston Rockets come in at 7/1, while the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs are the only other teams that aren’t major longshots with 10/1 odds apiece.

There are plenty of reasons to believe James will end up with the Lakers. They potentially give him a chance to dethrone the Warriors and win championships for years to come. James’ aspirations off the court also make Los Angeles an attractive destination.

Teams like Houston, Boston and San Antonio are closer to winning a title than Los Angeles, but their salary cap situations make it harder for them to acquire James. They would likely need James to opt into the final year of his contract and force Cleveland to make a trade. The Lakers have the cap space to sign James outright without requiring any cooperation from the Cavs.

The Cavs can offer James the largest possible contract. It doesn’t matter that they are over the salary cap since James played for them last year. Contract length might not mean much to James, considering he’s the league’s most-coveted player and can still get a max contract in future seasons.

Philadelphia is among the top James contenders in large part because of their payroll. Like the Lakers, the 76ers have the flexibility to pay James $30 million-plus next year without making a trade. Having a young core that’s led by Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid also helps.

James has until June 29 to opt into the final year of his current contract. If he chooses to become a free agent, that might narrow the field down to the Lakers, Cavs and 76ers.

James played all 82 games in the regular season. He arguably had the best postseason of his career with averages of 34.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 53.9 percent field-goal shooting in 22 games.

RELATED STORIES
Basketball