The LeBron James rumors over the past season have indicated that the Cleveland Cavaliers' superstar might be on his way out after the playoffs. That decision is coming in the near future, with the Cavs hopeful they can retain the rights to their coveted star. However, a number of other teams have been mentioned as major players when it comes to signing the free agent. Among them are the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers. The L.A. squad is now leading in the odds to sign The King too.

L.A. has best odds after the draft

For months now, there have been sportsbooks giving customers odds for the NBA teams that could sign LeBron James this summer.

After the 2018 NBA Draft concluded last week, the latest batch of updated odds came out. According to Lakers Nation, Los Angeles was the clear leader. The team has been given -325 odds to sign LeBron as a free agent, once they officially can in about a week or so.

Listed after the Los Angeles Lakers is LeBron's current squad, the Cleveland Cavaliers. They hold +325 odds to keep him The King in Cleveland. Next up are the Houston Rockets at +750, and the Philadelphia 76ers at +1000. The Boston Celtics are also getting +1000 odds to sign James, meaning a $100 wager would pay out a grand if he ends up going with the historic franchise in "Beantown."

It's mentioned that just after the Cleveland Cavs had been swept out of the 2018 NBA Finals, the Houston Rockets were the team with the top odds.

At that time, the Lakers were tied with the Philadelphia 76ers behind Houston on the odds listing.

Will LeBron choose Los Angeles?

The talk of LeBron James heading to the Los Angeles Lakers has hinged on who else the team might be able to add to their roster. It's now become well-known that the Oklahoma City Thunder's Paul George or the San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard are possibilities.

Of the two, George could be easier to land, but Bleacher Report mentioned, via Marc Stein of New York Times, that OKC still has a legitimate shot to keep PG13 as a member of the Thunder next season. He could agree to a lucrative deal allowing him to opt out in another season or two.

Kawhi Leonard would still require the Spurs to trade him to the Lakers.

They generally aren't a team that wants to send quality players to other Western Conference contenders. That seems to rule out the squad making a deal with Los Angeles, but stranger things have happened in the NBA.

Another player who has emerged as a potential acquisition for the Lakers is Chris Paul. Recent reports have suggested that there may be tension between Paul and the Houston Rockets. As Bleacher Report mentioned, FS1's Chris Broussard has even mentioned the possibility of CP3 going to the Lakers to join forces with LeBron James. However, the Houston Rockets know that in order to contend with the likes of Golden State in the Western Conference, they need to do their best to keep Paul happy.

All of that said, fans in Los Angeles are excited to see if LeBron is going to take his talents to another warm-climate city. Back in 2010, he decided to leave Cleveland for the much warmer and bustling city of Miami. Will he decide to go to Hollywood next season? The oddsmakers seem to believe so, but L.A. needs to make another couple moves to make this a reality.
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