Joining forces with Giannis? Lakers reporter: James has always valued city's business resources, and Miami is definitely a plus.

On June 28, Beijing time, Lakers reporter Buha talked about LeBron James' future on his latest program. He noted that James consistently values a city's business ecosystem, and that this influenced his departure from Cleveland for the Lakers. Should his extension negotiations with the Lakers collapse, Miami would be among the strongest contenders for his services—again, because of what the city offers. James joining forces with Giannis? That’s not out of the question. Buha explained as follows—

The Lakers have their own calculations: we want to go all out for these restricted free agents or acquire other stars via trade, leaving only a fixed amount in the salary budget for you. If that’s the case, LeBron will surely feel uncomfortable. He’d probably think: fine, if you’re only offering me around 15 million or something, then I might as well take that same money to Miami, Golden State, San Antonio, or another team.

So I believe the key to all of this lies in how the Lakers approach the negotiation and how they communicate with LeBron: we recognize you fit the team, but this is the price we can offer; we know your value is much higher than that, but to build a championship-contending roster, we need you to take a pay cut.

In my view, the direction of discussions over the next few days will directly determine whether LeBron tests the free-agent market. Objectively speaking, staying with the Lakers—no need to move, and earning a higher salary—is far better than going to another team. But if talks break down and both sides agree they are no longer a good fit, then the Heat will definitely be one of the most aggressive suitors.

Yes, the city matters a lot to him. He doesn't like Memphis, nor does he want to go to Milwaukee or Detroit. He left Cleveland twice. When he chose the Lakers, it wasn’t because the roster was terrible and had no future—it was because Los Angeles could double his personal wealth, greatly boost his personal brand, and give him access to top billionaires from all walks of life. He has always placed great importance on the business resources of a city.

Miami now has a booming tech industry, and he has built a solid network of connections there—this is definitely a plus worth considering.