The NBA Free Agents of 2014 are mostly comprised of stars from the East. It is ironic that the best free agent destinations are out West. Which team will prove to be the most attractive: Phoenix Suns or LA Lakers?

Basketball Insiders recently had a point by point debate on this topic. The factors of both the city and the organization were considered. It is highly probable that one of the Miami Big Three (LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade) or Carmelo Anthony might be considering these two teams.

The point for the LA Lakers: "The market size, beautiful weather, passionate fan base, competent front office and winning tradition make the Lakers unlike any of the NBA's other markets. If there is one major downside to playing professionally in Los Angeles, it would be the fact that millionaires in California pay more state income taxes than those in many other, including Florida and Texas.

Additionally, with the new generation of NBA superstars, we have seen a propensity to leave a franchise in search of championship glory with a new one. LeBron James left Cleveland, Chris Paul left New Orleans, Carmelo Anthony left Denver, Dwight Howard left Orlando... And they all did so in search of championships that have mostly eluded them."

While Dwight Howard may have tarnished the previously unblemished reputation of the Lakers, it should be noted that despite the lack of trade assets, Howard influenced Orlando to trade him to LA. Brooklyn and Golden State had better offers but Howard strong-armed them to take the LA package. It can be argued that that is even more difficult than leaving as a free agent.

Phoenix, on the other hand, does not rely on legacy, but an eye towards the future:

While the Suns did narrowly miss the postseason this year, they were definitely the Western Conference's most surprising team thanks to hard play by motivated young players and good coaching by first-year skipper Jeff Hornacek.  While he doesn't yet have the pedigree of a Tom Thibodeau or Gregg Popovich, Hornacek is definitely good enough already to be the kind of coach players would love to work for.

It also helps that GM Ryan McDonough is one of those exciting young general managers that makes the most of advanced statistics and steers away from the most ridiculous of long-term deals.  He's a smart guy that has the chops to build a winner, and that's something that also matters to players (and, perhaps more importantly, their agents).

Throw in a good supporting cast, the league's best training staff, which helped keep Steve Nash and Grant Hill relevant deep into their 30s, as well as warm weather and an excellent preexisting community for rich people with money to burn, and Phoenix looks like an especially attractive destination for free agents."

The fact that Howard even considered leaving the Lakers means the players are more open now. They would really consider all the factors and not just stick with the safe, comfortable choice. Still, the Lakers have so much to offer. They also have the flexibility that they haven't had in years as well as the chance to inherit the world's most popular team in two years (when Kobe presumably hangs up).

One thing is for certain-the balance of power will be tilted further in favor of the Western Conference. It is highly unlikely for both these teams to come up empty-handed.