The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Deadline first domino in James’ summer
James’ decision about the final year of contract with Cavs approaching
June 29 marks the first major date in how The Decision 3.0 develops.
Two days before free agency officially opens July 1, LeBron James must decide what will become of the final year of his contract with the Cavaliers.
Although James’ status as a free agent is seemingly a foregone conclusion, he can still choose to exercise his player option for the final season of the three-year, $99.8 million deal he signed prior to the Cavaliers’ 2016-17 season. If James picks up his option, he will be owed $35.6 million for the 2018-19 season.
The option does not hold as much financial value to James.
As a free agent this offseason, James can sign a contract at a higher value than the one he currently plays under. The Cavaliers can offer him a fiveyear, $205 million deal which includes an extra year and more money than the four-year, $152 million deal other suitors could offer him as a free agent.
If James decides to exercise the option, it does not necessarily entail James will remain a Cavalier. Should James opt in, it’s possible he will waive his notrade clause on the condition the Cavaliers execute a sign-andtrade.
The Cavaliers’ ideal endgame is to retain the league’s best player. If there is a situation in which James is to leave, a signand-trade scenario may be more suitable than one ending with James departing in free agency and the Cavaliers are left emptyhanded.
A sign-and-trade opens James’ availability to more teams and presents the Cavaliers an avenue to hasten their rebuild with assets gained from James’ departure.
Possible trades to the Philadelphia 76ers or even the Boston Celtics could be on the table. The franchises present landing spots for James to compete for championships, and they are also loaded with enough young talent, draft assets and the contracts to make a deal work.
A sign-and-trade is no guarantee to land adequate value in exchange for James’ services. Franchises around the league understand James holds leverage over the Cavaliers. Situations in which teams trade a player ahead of his free agency often return packages of talent and assets inferior to what a player is truly worth.
As it pertains to the teams listed above, it would seem unlikely the Cavaliers and Celtics would be keen to deal with one another after last summer’s Kyrie Irving trade. For the 76ers to add James, they would probably need to part with some of the young talent that makes Philadelphia an attractive destination.
The most encouraging sign of James’ possible return to Cleveland for the long haul would entail James opting out of his contract.
Despite James hitting the open market, the Cavaliers would likely face less competition to retain James. Few teams have the cap space to add James.
The Houston Rockets, supposedly the destination that offers James the best chance to beat the Golden State Warriors, would require a roster overhaul in order to fit James onto their payroll. The Rockets would be unable to retain starting center Clint Capela, the anchor of their defense, and would need to find a team willing to take on Ryan Anderson — a 30-year-old forward owed $42 million over the next two years — in a trade.
If James hits the open market, that likely leaves the Los Angeles Lakers as the Cavaliers’ prime competition. The Lakers own enough cap space to fit two max contract players onto their roster this summer and young assets which provide them the flexibility James covets to reshape the roster to his liking.
The Cavaliers own an edge in their ability to offer James more money and an extra year of stability. At 33, it remains to be seen if James will seek a contract with more long-term stability as opposed to the shorter, flexible contracts he’s signed lately.