LeBron James Rumors: Cavaliers Won't Have in-Person Meeting with Superstar
LeBron James will reportedly not have an in-person meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers before he makes his free-agency decision.
According to ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin, James' camp has been in contact with the Cavs, and agent Rich Paul intends to do everything over the phone.
LeBron opted out of the final year of his contract Friday, making him an unrestricted free agent.
McMenamin added that the Cavs believe they are still in the mix to re-sign James since they can offer him $207 million over five years, which is significantly more than any other team.
A source also told McMenamin that re-signing LeBron is Cleveland's "Plan A, B and C."
After returning to the Cleveland on the heels of a four-year run with the Miami Heat, James led the Cavaliers to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances.
That included the first championship in franchise history in 2016.
The 33-year-old is coming off another highly productive season, as he averaged 27.5 points, 9.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds per game.
James essentially carried the Cavs to the NBA Finals despite getting little help from his supporting cast, but the Warriors swept them.
With Cleveland hard-pressed to make significant roster additions, there may be better options available to LeBron in terms of contending for a championship.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers are considered to have the best chance to sign James aside from the Cavs, since the Houston Rockets don't have the cap space.
Last week, OddsShark tweeted that the Lakers were heavily favored to sign James at 4-13, while the Cavaliers are second at 13-4.
On Saturday, OddsShark revealed that the Lakers had become 1-50 (-5,000) favorites to sign LeBron.
L.A. presents an interesting case since it has the means to sign LeBron and pair him with another star such as free-agent small forward Paul George.
The Lakers have also been in trade talks with the San Antonio Spurs for small forward Kawhi Leonard, per ESPN.com.
On Friday, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported (via Deadspin's Giri Nathan) James plans to make his free-agent decision among friends at a location in the Caribbean.
James can begin negotiating with teams Sunday, and free agents can officially begin signing contracts on July 6.
