Knicks Named Ideal LeBron James Landing Spot

"You always think New York, potentially," Marks said, claiming that the Knicks have the movable contracts to match a James deal's massive financial requirements. "They do have the contracts, whether it be the big [Karl-Anthony] Towns number, and OG [Anunoby], [Mikal] Bridges, [Josh] Hart combo. That group, I think it would be probably lean back towards New York."

Believing that the shock over an in-season James trade could "exceed" the hype and reaction around Los Angeles' equally-dramatic dealing for Luka Doncic, O'Connor took things a step further, saying the Knicks were the "No. 1" destination in a trade, followed by "everybody else."

"If he were to be traded mid-season, the Knicks make sense for salary purposes, for roster fit purposes, for what ... they feel like might need to take a leap," O'Connor said, further stating that New York is also the best destination for James on a personal level. "Also for LeBron, I mean, it's Madison Square Garden, he's always called it his favorite arena. He could be a 'savior' if he does take them to a championship for the first time in decades, so there's that with him as well."

Until James officially announces his retirement, amateur and professional observers alike will likely continue to try linking him to the Knicks, who have made several plays for his services. As mentioned by O'Connor, James has hardly hidden his love of playing at the Knicks' home of MSG, which has hosted several of his hardwood accomplishments.

This past February, for example, James put up a 33-point, 12-assist, 11-rebound triple-double while becoming the seventh player in NBA history to sink at least 2,500 three-pointers in his career. That 128-112 was earned mere hours before the Lakers added Doncic, the former Dallas Mavericks franchise face who was shocking moved at the most recent trade deadline.

In any event, James does have at least one more MSG visit left on his docket, as the Lakers come to down on Feb. 1. New NBA television partner NBC sees the obvious allure behind such a matchup, as the interconference clash will serve as the opener for its hyped "Sunday Night Basketball" package.