LeBron skips option with Cavs
Cleveland star becomes free agent but has no plans to leave
For the third time in six seasons, LeBron James is an unrestricted free agent.
The difference this time is that he has no plans to move again.
The Cleveland star will not exercise a $21.6 million option on his contract for next season, a source said Sunday.
James’ decision has been expected. The approach allows him to sign a new maximum contract, likely another two-year deal with a player option for 2017-18 that will pay him more than he would have made under his previous contract. His maximum number for next season, which is tied to how high the salary cap rises, is expected to be more than $22 million.
The last time James became a free agent from Cleveland, in 2010, he famously left his home state team to play for the Miami Heat.
James won two championships and played in four NBA Finals in his four seasons in Miami before making the celebrated decision to return home last summer.
This time, James has indicated that he plans to stay put while Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and GM David Griffin work on the roster in hopes of surrounding James with the talent he will need to end Cleveland’s 51-year championship drought.
The Cavaliers have plenty of decisions to make and negotiations to conduct for free agents Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert. But the process with James should be fairly straightforward.
“We’ve heard from him every day pretty much relative to our roster,” Griffin said last week. “It’s been great. He’s been very much engaged with us on a lot of different levels, so it’s been positive.”
James led the shorthanded Cavaliers back to the Finals in June and starred before Stephen Curry and Golden State captured the Warriors’ first title since 1975 in six games.
With Love and Kyrie Irving out with injuries, James averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists and almost 46 minutes in the series.
If James signs another two-year contract with a player option on the second year, it would allow him to reap the financial windfall that is expected to arrive when the NBA’s new television contract kicks in next summer and sends the salary cap skyrocketing.
Teams can start negotiating with players Wednesday and can sign them to contracts beginning July 8.
James’ deal will likely be tabled while the Cavaliers address Thompson, Love and Shumpert, who is a restricted free agent.