Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

LOS ANGELES — Apparently, LeBron James has never played for a superteam.

"I don't believe I've played for a superteam," James said after his Game 5 NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors. "I don't believe in that. I don't believe we're a superteam here."

The 2010-14 Miami Heat aside, and the 2014-17 Cleveland Cavaliers aside, James needs superstar teammates wherever he goes, especially as he ages. That need for top-tier talent wouldn't change for James in L.A., where he's rumored to be headed in the summer of 2018.

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, James may opt out of the final year of his contract next summer with eyes on the Los Angeles Lakers or L.A. Clippers as possible destinations.

"I’m not sure there’s an expectation he’s re-signing [with the Cavaliers]," said Wojnarowski on his podcast on Wednesday. "I think they feel, I think within Cleveland and around the league, they feel that he’s very much in play to leave again and likely head out west to one of the two L.A. teams. The Lakers could very well be a target."

Both the Lakers and Clippers can, and should, bend over backward to make sure they have the spending power available when James makes his decision.

That may be easier for the Lakers, who project to have nine players under contract in the summer of 2018, provided they don't add on any multiyear deals this summer outside of their Nos. 2 and 28 draft picks.

With the league's current projection of a $102 million salary cap for 2018-19, the Lakers could have approximately $27.3 million in cap space—about $8.4 million short of James' $35.7 million maximum salary. That includes renouncing the rights to forward Julius Randle, who would eat up $12.4 million of the team's cap space as a restricted free agent, and they're still not quite there.

Gus Ruelas/Associated Press

To make up the difference, the Lakers could look to find takers for the contracts of Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov via trade, but that might cost the team significant draft considerations. If there's not a trade to be had, the Lakers can manage to keep Randle and add James by waiving and stretching out the $69.5 million owed to Deng and Mozgov over a five-year period at $13.9 million a season.

While the Lakers can make the math work, do they offer James a better chance to win than the Clippers?

That wholly depends on the decisions of impending free agents Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Both have early termination options before July.

If the Clippers could find a way to keep the band together and add James? Their biggest weakness at the small forward position becomes their greatest strength.

James might even have to acknowledge that's a superteam.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

The challenge for the Clippers would be opening the kind of cap space necessary to sign James outright if Paul and Griffin re-sign for the max this summer. For 2018-19, they could combine to earn almost $71 million.

But "challenge" isn't even the right word. If DeAndre Jordan, Austin Rivers and Wesley Johnson all opt out, the Clippers cut Jamal Crawford and trim their roster down all the way to just Paul and Griffin, the most the team could pay James would be about $21 million.

James can join Paul. He can join Griffin. He can join Jordan. But the Clippers won't have the room to put together a Big Three, let alone a power foursome, without players taking serious discounts.

From a free-agency perspective in 2018, the Lakers can get to the money needed to sign James more easily; the Clippers have the veteran talent but no space.

Both teams give James an opportunity to pursue his interests in the entertainment industry. The Lakers can boast a legend like Magic Johnson in their front office; the Clippers can counter with the logo of the NBA in Jerry West.

If the Lakers could lure a player like Paul George in trade, while carefully minding their books to make sure they have the necessary room to pay James, they would be more appealing to a player who wants to win now.

For the Clippers, they might need the Cavaliers to send them James directly in a trade to get around the clear salary cap issues, but that relies heavily on Cleveland playing along.

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If both Paul and Griffin leave this summer, the Clippers might be able to clear their books to go after both James and George outright, a path the Lakers could equally traverse.

Of course, James could just re-sign in Cleveland to stay with Kyrie Irving or even return to Miami, perhaps with Dwyane Wade in tow—but whatever James decides, don't call it a superteam.