Earlier in the day, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that talks between the Lakers and Spurs, which had grown cold, then heated up again, with Los Angeles feeling “urgency” to get a trade done by Sunday, the first official day of the NBA’s free agency period. James has until midnight Friday to decide whether to opt out of his contract with the Cavs, while another major factor in the free agency landscape, Paul George, reportedly decided on Thursday to opt out of his deal with the Thunder and hit the market.<doc-sep>Once you have subscribed we will use the email you provided to send you the newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the newsletter email. The focus of the NBA world will be on LeBron James on Friday as it's finally reached the deadline where he must decide to opt in or out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 33-year-old has a $35.6 million player option but he can choose to decline it and become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. James is widely expected to opt out and test the open market and there are multiple teams waiting to pounce if he becomes available. In need of the King The Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers are expected to make the most serious attempts to lure the four-time MVP. There are many who feel that the King should look to create the league's next super team to challenge the juggernaut that is the Golden State Warriors. He has now lost back-to-back finals against the men from the Bay Area since they acquired Kevin Durant, which included a humiliating sweep earlier this month. LeBron's best chance of overcoming the Dubs would be to team up with another superstar and he's reportedly received a call from one of the league's best players to make it happen. According to Yahoo Sports, wantaway San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard has reached out to LBJ, informing the veteran that he wants to play alongside him. Per Jordan Schultz of Yahoo: "Leonard pitched James on his incredible defensive ability and how it would alleviate the pressure on James, the source said." The two-time All-Star requested a trade away from the Spurs earlier this month and is seeking a move to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Purple and Gold opened discussions with the Texas-based franchise over a deal on Thursday as the 26-year-old's days in San Antonio appear to be numbered. Formidable duo LA officials believe that acquiring Leonard before free agency would improve their chances of landing James. It's unclear if Kawhi is looking to recruit LeBron to potentially join him in Tinseltown or if he's willing to go to Cleveland. Regardless of where they might play together, there's no doubt that the two-time Defensive Player of the Year would be a great fit alongside the Akron native. Leonard is a good enough shooter to play off the ball and benefit from James' playmaking ability and can also ease the pressure on him by handling the ball and creating his own offence. Although it would seem that the Spurs are open to trading their best player, they're in no rush to offload him. But with the former Finals MVP appearing extremely reluctant to stay, their hopes of repairing their relationship and keeping hold of him are getting slimmer by the day. CLICK HERE to listen to Episode Two of the new GiveMeSport NBA podcast, featuring New York Times senior writer Marc Stein. Subscribe for all future episodes. News Now - Sport News<doc-sep>Kawhi has reached out to LeBron and wants to the two of them to play together next season, according to a new report from Yahoo Sports. According to a report from Jordan Schultz at Yahoo Sports, Kawhi Leonard has reached out to LeBron James saying that he wants the two to play together next season. While the LA Lakers and San Antonio Spurs are reportedly engaged in trade talks for Kawhi’s services, with the Lakers reportedly making a “Godfather offer” to the Spurs, this puts San Antonio in an interesting position. Rumblings of a Godfather Lakers offer for San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard have rival teams wondering if anyone else can compete here. The latest summer of LeBron has officially begun... — Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 28, 2018 If the Spurs don’t like the offer that the Lakers are making for Kawhi, who has one year left on his deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent and is eligible for a super max contract in which San Antonio can pay him tens of millions more than any other team, they’re in a position to not only hang onto him but lobby LeBron James to join Kawhi and Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. It’s been well-documented that LeBron loves Pop and it’s been previously reported that Pop would be leading the Spurs’ charge to sign him if he opts out of his deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers by the end of the day on Friday. LeBron could decide that he doesn’t have to wait on the Lakers to clear cap space and trade for Kawhi if he wants to play for Kawhi. He could just go to San Antonio and help the Spurs make Kawhi happy with a super max deal PLUS getting to play with LeBron James under Gregg Popovich and be thrust into championship contention immediately. For all the news that has come out about Kawhi demanding to leave the Spurs, super max money plus LeBron James is something that no other team would be able to offer. The report also gives the Spurs even more leverage than they already had in trade negotiations with the Lakers if they’ve decided that they want to be rid of the drama that Kawhi has brought to the franchise in the past year. This report basically confirms that if the Lakers don’t get Kawhi, they don’t get LeBron. That’s been largely understood, but this latest news gives further credence to that fact.<doc-sep>
It is not yet clear where LeBron James plans to continue his NBA career next season. It is, however, beginning to seem that wherever he does decide to play, he will be doing so alongside fellow All-Star Kawhi Leonard. According to a recent report by Yahoo! Sports’ Jordan Schultz, Leonard has reached out to James to say that he would like to play with him. “San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard has reached out to LeBron James, informing the 33-year-old superstar that he wants to play alongside him, a source told Yahoo Sports. “Leonard pitched James on his incredible defensive ability and how it would alleviate the pressure on James, the source said.” The two players have been seemingly connected for months as James nears his free agency and it becomes increasingly clear that Leonard is unhappy with his current team, the San Antonio Spurs. Now that James’ free agency is nearly upon us, it looks as though at least one team is scrambling to trade for Leonard. The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly attempting to get a deal done for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year to make themselves as attractive a destination for James as possible. It had also been reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers were looking for ways to bring Leonard to Cleveland, but most of the activity regarding a possible deal seemed to take place before the 2018 NBA Draft earlier this month. With the Lakers possibly nearing a deal for Leonard, it could become even more likely that James ends up in L.A. Until then, it is still all up to speculation.