NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on LeBron James, DeAndre Jordan Sign-and-Trade | Bleacher's report

Tony Dejak / Associated Press

LeBron James dominates another summer of titles, and the latest rumors of the NBA indicate that he is making inventory of his options as a free agency.

James can retire and join the free market, where he is sure to have a lot of contenders, which apparently includes some of the contenders of the league. Meanwhile, DeAndre Jordan seems to have some déjà vu with another NBA star, as a familiar franchise could seek to trade for the big man.

James is obviously the biggest fish, but the movement of both players would create major waves throughout the NBA. A recent buzz suggests that this could come to fruition.

LeBron looking around

Little definitive information has been reported about where James is looking in his latest "decision", but he seems to be entering the league to gather information.

James has friends around the NBA, and he is doing due diligence before moving on to the next stage of the off season, which would be to decide to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. by Mark Heisler of Los Angeles Daily News.

"Meanwhile, LeBron is doing what we do: calling the players from the other teams he wants to play with," said the general manager.

James is perfectly entitled to check with his teammates and he has done so in the past when he pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to play with good friend Dwyane Wade in Miami. Wit What he could discuss this time is a lot more mystery, as Wade was also a free agent in 2010.

Kathy Willens / Associated Press

Chris Paul is another good friend of James, and he gets to play in the team that just finished with the best basketball record and a game away from taking the Golden State Warriors in the semifinals of the Western Conference . The Houston Rockets are certainly an intriguing option, and they made James a priority this offseason, by USA todayis Sam Amick.

As with the addition of a large player and contract in James to any team, there are obstacles. First of all, the new MVP James Harden did not seem too enthusiastic about the idea, saying at the NBA awards that the Rockets do not need to bring in changes to their current team to win a championship.

Second, Houston would need serious maneuvers to accommodate James' contract. Clint Capela needs a new contract after his breakout season, and the team should probably give up a first-round pick or two for a team to badume the roughly $ 41 million that Ryan Anderson must over the next two seasons.

The Rockets would be happy to do so since they are clearly looking to win now, but that would further reduce their rebuilding when their championship window closes.

Of course, the Lakers have always been linked to James, but they are not able to win at this time as the Rockets are, and James is already 33 years old. In addition, Amick reported last week that the word is the chance of another star like Paul George or Kawhi Leonard landing in Los Angeles are not strong.

If they can make it work, the Rockets are the best place for James to pbad in front of the Warriors for at least one more title before he reaches the twilight of his career. They have a head coach who gives his players creative freedom on the court, which James covets. He has scorers around him, including an option similar to Kyrie Irving in Harden who can get buckets in face-to-face match-ups with the James-centric defense.

Quite simply, Houston would be a powerhouse with James, and you'd better believe that he heard this when checking the NBA.

Jordan-Dallas Part 2?

Jordan created a free agency moment in 2015, when he accepted a four-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks before retiring and returning to the Los Angeles Clippers following a meeting with Doc Rivers and his Blake teammates. Griffin and Paul.

Well, now it's 2018, and the core of this group left with Griffin shipped to Detroit Pistons and Paul in Houston. Now, Jordan also seems to be warming up to return to Dallas, as the New York TimesMarc Stein reports:

It makes sense that Jordan would like to get out of Los Angeles. Jamal Crawford, Griffin, Paul and JJ Redick, among others, have agreed to come back. It was a competitor of the Western Conference. Now, the closet is pretty bare and there are hardly any young players excited because the team seems to be moving towards a complete rebuild. He has also just brought another aging center to Marcin Gortat on Tuesday night. in exchange for Austin Rivers.

Jordan can withdraw from the last year of his contract, which would allow him to pay more than $ 24 million and become a free agent, but the Clippers would rather get something for him than leave for nothing. Should he be facilitating a trade in Dallas, Jordan could make sure that he gets the full value of the last year of his contract while still having enough time to craft a new deal in his current state. # 39; origin.

The Mavericks would prefer not to give up for Jordan, but bargaining for him now could be the best move. They have a leverage in the fact that Jordan is on a contract expires, which diminishes its commercial value. It may only be a first-round pick to get a player who averaged 12.0 points and 15.2 rebounds a year ago. Not bad.

This would eliminate the immediate risk of losing Jordan in the free agency market while adding to a core of Harrison Barnes, Luka Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. which is far superior to what the Clippers have currently.

Although Stein cited an unlikely appellant source, the circumstances surrounding this situation seem to indicate that this could very well happen, particularly with the Gortat trade. Prepare for Jordan to become a maverick.

All stats are courtesy of Basketball Reference. The contractual information is courtesy of Spotrac.