LeBron James to the Houston Rockets rumors are swirling

One of the all-time greats is rumored to be thinking about Houston as a destination next summer.

LeBron James will be the most sought-after player in next year’s free agency pool. Though he will be going into his 16th season, his production is just as high (or higher) than ever. He is averaging a ridiculous 28.4 points, 8.2 rebounds & 9.2 assists per game at the age of 32.

And apparently, he wants to be in Houston next year.

Sounds like a pipedream, right? While it may seem that way, there have been numerous reports linking him to the Houston Rockets over the past few weeks. USA Today had an article detailing why it can and may happen earlier in the month.

Zach Lowe affirmed that suspicion in an article he posted this morning to ESPN. He says that the Rockets will look to re-sign Chris Paul to a long-term deal and then sign the King himself. Morey seems pretty confident that the Rockets will be able to get Paul back. Apparently, CP3 and LeBron also have “talked” about joining up in Houston.

How can this even happen?

How will the Rockets be able to sign LeBron James? With the books pretty much filled as far as salary cap goes, it will be very difficult for Houston to pull this off. It is possible, though, says Sam Amick of USA Today. First off, and most importantly, Ryan Anderson would have to go. His $20 million a year deal is just too much to keep around when the team is trying to bring in 3 stars.

Secondly, the stars might have to be willing to take a pay cut. We saw Kevin Durant do this last summer when the Warriors kept their core intact. Chris Paul has made around $160 million in his NBA career, LeBron James around $203 million, and that doesn’t include endorsement money. Would a big chance at a championship motivate one or both of them to take a cut in salary? If so, the Rockets could make this dream a reality and put together one heck of a team.

Some other smaller pieces may have to be moved to make this work, but thankfully the Rockets have a wizard in Daryl Morey that would be able to figure out the logistics. Another big thing would be re-signing Clint Capela. He is a restricted free agent this summer and will likely be offered a maximum deal by somebody. Thankfully, the Rockets have bird rights that would allow them to sign Capela past the salary cap. Will they be able to sign LeBron and Paul to deals and still snag Capela in time?

Rockets reportedly aim to sign LeBron, re-sign Chris Paul and launch their plan for NBA dominationhttps://t.co/2olDELp6mN pic.twitter.com/swqcYWur8x

— CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) December 22, 2017

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*All stats via Basketball-Reference*

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