Good luck getting LeBron James to take the bait.
James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are in Los Angeles, and they will be there throughout the weekend when they face the Clippers (on Friday) and the Lakers (on Sunday). He’s been a free agent before, seen the recruitment efforts from various fanbases (ahem, billboards), and he’s as savvy and informed as any player in the NBA when it comes to the media trying to pry answers from him.
He knows his words will be parsed. He knows his actions will be dissected. He knows the handshake he offers Lonzo Ball will become a talking point.
But James isn’t biting.
“I understand that I’m a free agent at the end of the summer, so I understand the frenzy that comes with it,” he told reporters at Friday’s shootaround.
James can be a free agent if he declines his $35.6 million player option from the Cavaliers, and it’s widely assumed that he’ll do so (for what it's worth, he also said there's no list of teams that he plans to meet with).
“It’s not my first rodeo, but I don’t — it doesn’t bother me,” he said. “I don’t talk about it too much. Like I said, I’ll handle that whenever it comes. I understand that the conversation happens here because first of all (the Lakers) have cap space.
“And this league is much better when the Lakers, the Knicks and the Celtics are all good at the same time. That’s just how it is. So, that’s what also creates the frenzy.”
In anticipation of James' visit to Los Angeles, USA TODAY Sports ranked James' best free-agency options based solely on this season's on-court performance.
At the beginning of the season, James said nothing has changed in terms of his plans to finish his career as a Cavalier. He rarely offers a glimpse into his thinking throughout the season and only mildly entertains questions about his impending decision whenever the Cavs are set to face a potential suitor. And even then, he essentially offers rote answers out of respect for his teammates or out of convenience.
As for the “LABron” billboards that went up in Los Angeles this week, James said he hasn’t seen them, but he offered similar answers to the same questions in regards to the billboards trying to recruit him to Philadelphia.
“I’m 15 years into my career and fans and cities want me to play for their team, or have dreams,” he said. “I think it’s pretty cool. … It’s flattering more than anything.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Michael Singer on Twitter @msinger
