Butler, George, Walker, and Jokic had yet to make any moves, but James was the first to make a decision.
He had even skipped the process of meeting with other teams.
The news had broken out of nowhere.
The fans who had been shouting that James would be One Man, One City next season and retire in Cleveland were feeling rather slapped in the face.
However, thanks to the big mouth of his former "father-in-law," Johnson, most fans were surprised but not shocked.
But with this, the entire Free Market landscape had been thoroughly thrown into turmoil.
According to Los Angeles media reports, George was highly likely to join the Lakers alongside James.
George had previously wanted to go to New Orleans but had failed, making Los Angeles his second choice.
Over the past year, he had shown great interest in playing in his hometown, and this was undoubtedly the best opportunity.
However, unlike James, although he was eligible to sign the Tang Tian Clause, he could only do so through a sign-and-trade with the Cavaliers, or by signing a 1+1 deal with the Lakers first.
George was clearly leaning toward the former.
At the same time, Cleveland media also leaked that, because of the Tang Tian Clause, they would not let George go.
James had gone to the Lakers, and George had become the second major free agent linked to them, but he was far from the only one.
According to follow-up reports from Los Angeles media, Durant, Butler, Walker, and Jokic were all targets the Lakers were pursuing.
Thanks to Jeanie Buss's early preparations, the Lakers now had ample salary cap space. In addition to signing two superstars, they could also land a Near Superstar like Jokic, who had just finished his Rookie Contract.
James's favorite Big Three