Report: LeBron won't take less than max, Rockets possibility 'overstated'

As it is every season free agency looms over him, the NBA is abuzz with speculation about LeBron James' next move. And as is always the case when such speculation grips the league, his intentions remain opaque.

One thing that seems clear, however, is that wherever he goes, James has no intention of accepting anything less than the full dollar amount for his services. It's been more than three years since he declared he'd no longer be taking discounts on his contracts - as he did when the Miami Heat's Big Three came together - and he hasn't moved off that position, sources told ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne.

That could make things difficult for some of the teams recently rumored to be in the mix for James, like the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets, who'd need to carve out max cap space they don't currently have.

It would be particularly difficult for the Rockets, who will also have Clint Capela's and Chris Paul's free agency to worry about this summer. And as enticing as the situation looks from a basketball perspective - not to mention Paul's and James' close friendship - the notion of James wanting to team up with Paul is an "overstated assumption," sources told Windhorst and Shelburne.

Meanwhile, James reportedly aggressively recruited Paul George to Cleveland this past offseason, and there have been rampant rumors about both players' desires to play in Los Angeles, so the Lakers are likely to remain a free-agent player, even if only in the collective NBA imagination.

Circumstance will have a major part to play, and will obviously change between now and July. But for now, at least one of James' stipulations for prospective suitors seems inevitable: Come to the table with max money, or don't come at all.