LeBron James officially announced that he will test free agency this summer after informing the Miami Heat that he will exercise his early termination option.
Player agent Rich Paul told the Heat on Tuesday that James, who still has two years left in his contact worth around $42.7 million, will test the market this summer.
And now that James has formally informed the Heat about his decision, several teams are already planning their moves to have a shot at acquiring the four-time Most Valuable Player.
Broderick Turner of the LA Times reported that the Los Angeles Clippers are planning to make a strong push to acquire James, but they will not have enough cap space to sign the superstar forward outright, which means that they have to negotiate a sign-and-trade deal with the Heat.
Sources indicated that the Clippers are willing to trade Blake Griffin along with several players in order to acquire James in a sign-and-trade deal this summer.
"Doc Rivers, the Clippers' president of basketball operations and coach, and his staff are doing their due diligence to make the team better and would consider moving All-Star power forward Blake Griffin along with others in a sign-and-trade deal to get James, according to the officials," Turner wrote.
The Clippers are reportedly planning to package Griffin with Jared Dudley or Matt Barnes. They are also mulling offering DeAndre Jordan and Jamal Crawford, but the Clippers know that they need to give up key assets in order to create an attractive trade package for the Heat.
The Clippers are confident that James will be interested in moving to the Clippers, knowing that he admires Doc Rivers and the 29-year-old forward is also a good friend of Chris Paul.
Sources also indicated that James' wife, Savannah, is also open to moving to Los Angeles, and she prefers the Clippers than the Lakers if James eventually decide to leave Miami this summer.
And in case they fail in their bid to land James since most executives are convinced that he will stay in Miami, the Clippers will shift their attention to Carmelo Anthony, who is expected to become one of the most coveted free agents this summer.
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