ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst reported Monday James is not scheduling any pitch meetings with teams; he will let agent Rich Paul handle the opening stages of talks. James will seek a full max-level extension wherever he signs, according to Windhorst, and the Lakers are one of just seven teams with the requisite cap space to do so, along with the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic.
If James and Anthony represented the Lakers’ Plan A, then either Pau Gasol or Chris Bosh – perhaps paired with one of the two aforementioned gems of the 2003 draft class – were the Plan B. The Lakers, Mavericks, Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors were among the teams who reached out to Gasol Monday night, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. The market for the 7-foot Spaniard is likely to develop after Anthony and James make their decision as many of the teams interested in Gasol, are also pursuing the two superstar forwards. ESPN