LeBron James's future has been the subject of debate for a while now, but the rumors of him leaving Cleveland are only intensifying as the Cavaliers have gotten off to a bad start this season.

Currently, many assume he'd head west to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, as he has a home in the area and also has many ties to the entertainment industry he might want to pursue following his playing career.

Even the Lakers seem to think they have a chance to land LeBron, as they will have a boatload of cap space next summer and have their eyes on James, Paul George and other top free agents.

However, on Friday's edition of "The Jump" on ESPN, NBA legend Paul Pierce said he thinks LeBron should stay in the Eastern Conference. As you can see in the video below, Pierce says the Washington Wizards would be a better fit for King James:

"There is one Eastern Conference team where I think he is the best fit," he said. "I believe it’s the Washington Wizards. I mean, you have a young backcourt still. Guys where LeBron doesn’t have to carry the load every night. You know, you have a young small forward in Otto Porter. You can play LeBron at the 4.

"Can you imagine Bradley Beal, John Wall, LeBron James, Otto Porter, and (Marcin) Gortat? That team would definitely win the East. That team has experience, it has youth, it has everything you want. Hey, who knows?"

When you imagine LeBron playing alongside Wall and Beal, it's not hard to imagine a team like that making it to the NBA Finals on a yearly basis.

Could a LeBron-and-Wall-led Wizards team take down a Golden State Warriors team with Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green? That would be an interesting question, but they'd probably have a better shot at winning than this year's Cavs team.

In the East, it would be tough for even Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics to compete with that hypothetical Wizards squad.

This coming offseason is sure to provide plenty of drama, especially when it comes to LeBron. The Lakers are hanging their future on being able to sign the superstar forward, so if he doesn't come west, it'll be a desperate scramble to find out what plan B is for Magic Johnson's squad.

We don't know yet exactly what LeBron is thinking when it comes to his future plans, but it's safe to say everyone will be waiting eagerly to see what he does next, especially if the Cavs fall out of the title picture early.