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LeBron James: Latest Contract News, Rumors on Cavaliers Star's Future
Even though LeBron James likely isn't going anywhere this summer, the former NBA MVP is reportedly opting out of his contract and waiting to see how things play out for the Cleveland Cavaliers' other free agents before making a commitment.
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LeBron Reportedly Opts Out, Will Use 'Wait-And-See Approach'
Sunday, June 28
Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reported James opted out of his contract in Cleveland, making him a free agent. Brian Windhorst of ESPN confirmed the news.
Haynes noted on June 26 that James was expected to make the decision so that he could sit back to see how the Cleveland front office works with the roster before committing to the team:
The four-time MVP has a player option deadline of Monday, and he will decline to pick up that deal for next season.
The belief is James wants to observe how management goes about retaining and accumulating assets keep the organization in win-now mode and improve the roster.
Before Cleveland loses its collective mind, Haynes noted the odds of James leaving the city again are "slim," but he's using this opportunity to make sure Cavaliers general manager David Griffin is able to put a championship-caliber roster around him.
Cleveland's front office has a lot of decisions to make with Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Tristan Thompson all set to become free agents when the negotiating window opens July 1.
James saw what happened to Cleveland's roster in the NBA Finals without Love and Kyrie Irving, so it's just smart business sense for him to let other things fall into place before he signs another deal with the Cavaliers.
James is 30 years old and already has a lot of miles on his legs. He only has a finite amount of time left playing at an MVP level, so the roster around him will be important to ensuring he and the team are able to compete for titles well into the future.