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NBA Free Agent Rumors: Shaq says Paul George and LeBron James will sign with the Lakers

Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal knows all about what it’s like for a superstar to sign in L.A., and he thinks LeBron James and Paul George will follow in his footsteps, along with “a couple of other big names.”

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NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Cleveland Cavaliers David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Whether the Los Angeles Lakers will be able to complete their dream of signing Paul George and LeBron James this summer is one of the biggest storylines of the offseason, and seemingly everyone has some thoughts on predictions on where they’ll go.

Our own Christian Rivas wrote about why George seems destined for Los Angeles, and a superstar that made that type of move before agrees with him.

During his podcast, The Big Podcast with Shaq, Lakers legend and hall of famer Shaquille O’Neal said he thinks George and James are both bound for L.A., along with a few reinforcements.

“I think Paul George ... He’s definitely going to the Lakers. Him and LeBron. You heard it here first. I’m gonna say this is just my opinion, LeBron, Paul George and there will be a couple of other big names that go to the Lakers organization.”

It’s important to note that O’Neal did specify that this wasn’t a scoop and just his opinion, but players and former players hear things, or at least have a pretty good sense for what those around the league think other players will do. That doesn’t mean the sentiment that Paul George is bound for Los Angeles is correct, but it does make it notable that O’Neal thinks he is.

If the Big Free Agent Predictor is right, then all of the moves the Lakers have made over the past year, from dumping Timofey Mozgov’s contract on the Brooklyn Nets to freeing up more cap space by dealing Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. will have been worth it, and the team will have finally signed the big names the front office and ownership have been craving for years.

Or Shaq just said something interesting and his podcast is trying to use the soundbite get downloads. We won’t know which is true until we see where George and James sign in July.

You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen, or support his work via Venmo here or Patreon here.

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