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What the NBA Awards show taught us about LeBron James' free agent future

The event was jam-packed with front office executives, agents and some of the game's best players, and you couldn't go more than a few minutes without the topic of James' free agency coming up.

SANTA MONICA – Behold the last stop on the LeBron James bread crumbs tour.

If we’re being honest, that’s what the NBA awards show inside a Santa Monica airport was really all about on Monday night. Houston’s James Harden winning MVP was a foregone conclusion. Ditto for Utah’s Rudy Gobert and his Defensive Player of the Year honor. As for the rest of the honors? They pale in comparison to James’ uncertain future.

“The only thing better would be if LeBron James actually was here tonight, because he would absolutely break the Internet,” TNT analyst and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller told USA TODAY Sports. “But look, no one knows (what he’s going to do). I don’t even think right now that he knows.”

The event was jam-packed with front office executives, agents and some of the game’s best players, and you couldn’t go more than a few minutes without the topic of James’ free agency coming up. The presence of his agent, Klutch Sports Group’s Rich Paul, only fueled that fire because he’s a main character in this hoops tale. But Paul was there in support of another client, Philadelphia’s Rookie of the Year, Ben Simmons.

Everyone wants clues about what the game’s greatest player might do when July 1 rolls around – assuming James declines the player option worth $35.6 million for next season on his Cleveland Cavaliers deal by the Friday deadline and becomes an unrestricted free agent. And while there was no clarity just yet, there were plenty of insights and observations to go around. Here are a few that stood out relating to his suitors.

THE LAKERS HAVE LEARNED NOT TO TAMPER

Jeanie Buss knows that now is not the time for another tampering snafu.

The Lakers owner was surely displeased back in August, when improper communication between general manager Rob Pelinka and the agent for Oklahoma City’s Paul George, Aaron Mintz, led to a $500,000 fine from the NBA for tampering. And when it happened again in early February – this time because of a seemingly innocuous public comment from Lakers executive Magic Johnson about Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo that cost the organization another $50,000 – the message was sent loud and clear by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver: We’re watching.

So when Buss was asked to discuss the Lakers’ looming free agency desires while sharing a red carpet with Silver himself, it came as no surprise that she wasn’t about to stumble at this crucial hour. The Lakers, of course, are widely considered to have a legitimate shot at landing James. And as ESPN reported on June 21, Buss recently called a meeting with team employees to express the importance of avoiding another tampering charge.

The least she could do – which she did – was set the right example.

“I think that we’ve continued to be aware of comments,” Buss told USA TODAY Sports when asked about the tampering concerns. “We were – you know, we had to deal with the league in terms of comments made about a free agent, so it’s really just reminding everybody what the rules are, and that we’re here to support the rules and be one of the good citizens of the NBA.”

But when it comes to the question of whether the Lakers can land James, no one seems to be able to predict who might join him as a co-star. After all, they’re the only team in the league with enough salary cap room for two max-level players. Yet in the absence of that answer, most objective observers assume he would then either stay in Cleveland or head elsewhere. As reported by USA TODAY Sports, the early signs aren’t positive for the Lakers when it comes to Paul George, Kawhi Leonard or Chris Paul winding up in purple and gold.

So might James head for the Lakers even if he couldn’t secure another All-Star? Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma, who as a player is not bound by the same rules of tampering, made it seem like a grand idea.

“That man has been in the league for 15, going on 16 years, so the only person who really knows (what he’ll do) is him,” Kuzma told USA TODAY Sports. “He’s going to decide ultimately what he’s going to do. I have no clue.

“But as young players, we want to be known as those types of guys as well – the (high-profile) guys they’re trying to bring in. We want to be those guys, so you know you’re always going to have that (mixed feeling). But at the end of the day, you want to win, and having one of the greatest players of all time would definitely help that – on any team.”

THE ROCKETS AREN’T OUT OF IT YET

Unlike the Lakers, the Rockets have all sorts of reasons to believe they can contend for a title even if James doesn’t come. They’re still expected to re-sign Paul, who was part of the Rockets contingent on hand to celebrate Harden’s big night. Paul even asked a question in Harden’s news conference, not long after poking fun at a recent report that there was tension between him and the team.

As was the case with Paul last summer when he forced his way out with the Clippers, it remains possible that James could opt in to his current deal and force a trade to a team like the Rockets by making it clear that he’ll opt out and leave in free agency if the Cavs don’t comply. And while Houston is considered a longshot to land James, that isn’t about to keep Rockets general manager/newly-named Executive of the Year Daryl Morey from trying.

According to a person with knowledge of their situation, the Rockets are still all in on pursuing James – even if Harden made it clear that it was hardly a necessity. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

“We were a half away from the Finals, so I don't think there is a piece that we need to bring in or take away,” Harden, whose Rockets fell to Golden State in seven games during the Western Conference finals, said when asked what the Rockets needed to add this summer. “We're great with what we have, from top to bottom, from the front office to coaching staff to players, personnel. Our main focus is just getting better, getting healthier, and doing what we do.

“You've got to realize – like it's Chris (Paul) and PJ (Tucker) and Luc (Mbah a Moute) and all those new guys, it's their first year. Look where we got to. Imagine a little bit more time together, it can get pretty scary.”

The specifics of James’ process remain unclear, but there’s a good chance he won’t ultimately talk directly with officials from any team. As one person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports, it might be deemed unnecessary because of all the background work Paul, fellow Klutch agent Mark Termini and their associates have done leading up to this point. Put simply, they know the lay of this land and it’s up to James to tell them which situation makes the most sense.

WHAT ABOUT THE SIXERS?

Philadelphia might be James’ best plug-and-play option. Add him to the Sixers’ core of Simmons and Joel Embiid, and the Sixers team that was already on the rise in the East would be a fascinating force. But like Kuzma, Simmons stopped short of recruiting James when asked about his future.

“What pieces do we need?” said Simmons, whose Sixers went 52-30 during the regular season and fell in five games to Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals. “I think time. I think a little bit of time. I think that's the main thing for us. We don't have that much experience with Joel and I and some of the younger people on our team and guys like that. So I think experience plays a big role. Obviously, some key pieces.

“Maybe that is a free agent, a big free agent who we can lean on and learn from, so we don't really have that older, veteran guy who is a star like that, but we have great veterans in JJ (Redick), and Amir (Johnson), Jerryd Bayless and guys like that who have taught me a lot from my first season.”

Then again, hip-hop artist and Sixers super fans Meek Mill was seen chatting with Paul before the show began. That must be a sign that Philly has the inside track here, right? Not at all. But that didn’t stop people from noticing – and wondering.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick on Twitter.

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