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Rumor Central: Jonathon Simmons turned down chance to play with LeBron James?

In July, forward Jonathon Simmons signed a three-year offer sheet with the Orlando Magic, which guarantees him $13.3 million through the 2019-20 season. The San Antonio Spurs opted to not match the offer sheet, which made Simmons' move to the Magic official.

"Jonathon is an elite wing defender that will provide toughness and athleticism to our team," Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said.

So far, it's been one of the best summer signings, as Simmons is averaging 15.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists for Weltman and the Magic. Simmons is also currently making 50.7 percent of his shots, which is on pace to be a career best.

When talking with the Orlando Sentinel about his desire to be a top player in the NBA, Simmons said he turned down the opportunity to possibly sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"I expressed that to Pop [San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich]. I said, 'I can be good over here, but I can't be great.' I want to be able to go against the Kawhis night-in and night-out," Simmons said. "I even talked to LeBron James over the phone, and he was like, 'We want you in Cleveland.' And I said, 'No, I want to play against you.' I want to be able to play against elite guys and be able to, in a couple of years down the line, be just where they are."

The Cavs were limited in what they could offer free agents this past summer, and that might have also factored in Simmons' decision to not look at Cleveland as an option. All the free agents who signed with the Cavs accepted one-year contracts for the veteran minimum amount, while rookie Cedi Osman is making $2.64 million.

The Magic are off to a 8-6 start, and Simmons has a lot to do with Orlando's early-season success, according to his teammates.

"He's really vocal," Terrence Ross said. "He's easy to talk to. He wants to win. He just pushes everybody to be better."

-- Nick Silva

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