Cavs’ visit to L.A. cranks up talk of LeBron’s future

OK, it’s time LOS ANGELES — to talk about these LeBron James to the Lakers rumors.

He, meaning James, knows they’re out there. He says he has not formulated a list or given much thought to free agency. But he knows his maybe coming to L.A. next summer is a thing.

So with the Cavs playing the Clippers on Friday night and the Lakers on Sunday, James addressed it Friday before the team’s shootaround at UCLA.

“I understand that I’m a free agent at the end of the summer, so I understand the frenzy that comes with it,” James said. For the sake of context, James can only be a free agent if he declines his $35.6 million player’s option for next season with the Cavs.

“It’s not my first rodeo, but I don’t, it doesn’t bother me,” James said. “I don’t talk about it too much. Like I said, I’ll handle that whenever it comes, but ... I understand that the conversation happens here because first of all they have cap space.

“And this league is much better when the Lakers, the Knicks and the Celtics are all good at the same time. That’s just how it is. So, that’s what also creates the frenzy.”

James has made the “Lakers, Knicks, Celtics” comment before — in November, actually, before the Cavs played a game at Madison Square Garden.

James also said — as he’s said on numerous occasions — that now is not the time for him to consider his free agency in any way. A recent media report suggested that James had narrowed a list of potential free-agent destinations to Cleveland, the Lakers, Philadelphia and Houston, all of which he denied.

“I’ve still got too much work to do here,” James said, referring to the Cavs’ current season. “One thing about me and my career, you probably don’t know, you haven’t been around me, that I handle my business accordingly, and when that time comes I’ll take care of that. But right now, my job right now is to get these guys prepared for the Clippers tonight and then how we can continue to get better going down the stretch.”

As for Los Angeles, James currently owns two homes here, both in the Brentwood neighborhood (he’ll likely sell one). His media company — SpringHill Entertainment — and business partner Maverick Carter are stationed here.