At least one report indicates the Los Angeles Lakers are working on a trade package to create enough salary cap space to sign both LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony as free agents. Other reports, however, call it improbable that James or Anthony -- let alone both of them -- end up with the Lakers.
With news of both James and Anthony deciding to opt out of their contracts this summer, at least one team believes they can land both superstars: the Lakers. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported the Lakers are trying to make moves to create cap space to bring both perennial All-Stars to Los Angeles.
Per ESPN:
"The Lakers have been trying in recent days to package the No. 7 overall pick in Thursday's draft with the expiring contract of Steve Nash (who's owed $9.7 million next season) to free up enough room to offer James and Anthony at least $16 million each next season to join forces with Kobe Bryant, Shelburne reported."
Shelburne added that multiple teams will likely try to take the Lakers' approach to land Anthony and James together, similar to how Miami signed James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all together in the summer of 2010.
Neither James nor Anthony is expected to be short of suitors. The Los Angeles Clippers, the Dallas Mavericks, the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets all are among the teams expected to pursue either James or Anthony.
NBC Sports' Kurt Helin, though, disagreed with the Anthony-to-Lakers reports.
"No, Carmelo Anthony is not coming to the Lakers," Helin tweeted on Monday. "... They are lukewarm on him, he wants to win now."
Teams officially can begin courting free agents on July 1, although contracts cannot be signed until the NBA moratorium ends on July 10.
