If this does indeed go down, it would certainly qualify as one of the biggest trades in NBA history.

There's two parts to this story.

First, upon news of Heat forward LeBron James' decision to opt-out, it was reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports that James and his representatives are intrigued by the idea of playing with the Los Angeles Clippers. As Wojnarowski notes, LeBron is good friends with Clippers guard Chris Paul, and is said to hold head coach Doc Rivers in high standing.

Second, the Los Angeles Times is now reporting that Rivers, who is also the Clippers president of operations, have considered a deal involving James in exchange for forward Blake Griffin. They would also send forwards Jared Dudley or Matt Barnes along with Griffin if need be.

The way the deal gets done is through a sign-and-trade because the Clippers are over the salary cap, and thus unable to sign James outright.

From the Clippers perspective, making an upgrade from Griffin to James instantly propels them into championship contention. Paired with Paul, and center DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers would boast two of the league's very best players and a dominant rim-defender in the paint.

As for the Heat, losing James will undoubtedly hurt, but receiving a superstar in Griffin would go a long way towards helping Miami remain competitive, especially assuming Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh remain on the roster. Griffin also gives the Heat a bridge into the future, as he's locked into a deal until 2018.

Last season, Griffin averaged 24.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists on 52.8 percent shooting from the field. His efforts earned him an All-NBA Second team berth.

He was topped by James, who averaged 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game on 56.7 percent shooting. James also scored an All-NBA First team spot.