Will he or he won’t he? We finally have a verdict.
LeBron James‘ agent, Rich Paul, has informed ESPN NBA insider Chris Broussard that his client will exercise the early termination option in his contract and become a free agent this summer.
LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul has told Heat LeBron will exercise early termination option
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) June 24, 2014
This does not come as a complete surprise, but it was also never a guarantee.
James will officially be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and can now explore his options on the open market. James was set to earn $20.5 million next season.
Some may consider this move by James as a power play to put pressure on the Miami Heat and president Pat Riley to put together a better roster for the 2014-15 season. Miami has long been considered the favorite to re-sign James, but he’ll need the assurance that the team can find better scorers other than an aging Dwyane Wade and wildly inconsistent Chris Bosh.
LeBron James will opt-out of deal, source confirms. He’s determined to impose pressure on Miami to improve roster and spend, sources say.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 24, 2014
But until the Heat makes any moves, there remains the possibility he tests the free-agent waters. Among the other NBA teams expected to make a run at LeBron are the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, and the Chicago Bulls.
Source on LeBron’s thinking about where to play next season: “He doesn’t know yet.” Away we go, folks.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) June 24, 2014
The Knicks need to find a replacement for Carmelo Anthony, who is also an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Lakers are rebuilding their roster, and need to consider a post-Kobe Bryant era. The Rockets are reportedly exploring ways to create salary cap space to make room for another superstar, and the same goes for Chicago.
And of course, with Cleveland, speculation about a reunion never seems to go away.
