LOS ANGELES — A source close to LeBron James told ESPN that the star forward's decision to leave the Los Angeles Lakers this summer might have played out differently had the team's record $12.5 billion sale to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner taken place before he became a free agent, adding a new layer to an offseason that has already reshaped the franchise twice over.

James announced in late July that he would sign with the Philadelphia 76ers rather than return to the Lakers for a ninth season, ending an eight-year run in Los Angeles that included the franchise's 17th NBA championship. Less than a month later, the Lakers themselves changed hands, with former Disney chief executive Bob Iger and venture capitalist Josh Kushner purchasing the team from Mark Walter for $12.5 billion, a figure that smashed the previous North American professional sports franchise record Walter himself had set just one year earlier when he bought the Lakers from the Buss family for approximately $10 billion.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin, who has closely covered James for years as one of the reporters most associated with the star's beat, asked a source close to James whether the ownership change, had it occurred sooner, might have influenced his decision to stay in Los Angeles. The source offered a measured, hedged response. "Maybe," the source said. "But that's tough to answer. Communication could have been better [with Iger and Kushner,........

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