Will LeBron James opt out from his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers again? That’s what a report by the San Francisco Chronicle is claiming, with the end result being James signing a contract in Los Angeles. The lure is Jerry West, who has signed on a consultant with the Los Angles Clippers, and who could seemingly entice top free agents to come to the city. West was a main reason that James was getting linked to the Los Angeles Lakers before this point, but the Lakers let West leave after giving Magic Johnson a lot of additional responsibilities.
“Those close to James insist that he will opt out of his Cleveland deal next summer and that he’s very interested in moving to Los Angeles, where he owns a home, where his kids are enrolled in a private school (just in case the family moves west), and where James’ business conglomerate has established a base of operations.”
So is it realistic for LeBron James to opt out of his current contract? He has done it before and James can become a free agent during the 2018 NBA offseason. He stands to earn about $33.3 million during the 2017-18 NBA season and then has a player option worth roughly $35.6 million for the following season.
You know LeBron James had something to say about Dray’s shirt pic.twitter.com/qzazjByAnH
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 15, 2017
The Golden State Warriors are fresh off winning another NBA championship and could be favored to win the third one next year if they can keep the current roster intact. There are some important contract negotiations coming up with Stephen Curry, but if the Warriors can also keep Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green on the roster, this is a team that could be contending for several more championships.
LeBron James knows all this and has to take a hard look at the roster he has to work with on the Cleveland Cavaliers. While the Cavs do have Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving under contract, the team has to deal with Kyle Korver’s pending free agency and filling in several roster spots that will open in the offseason. Can the Cavs lure enough talent in free agency to keep James happy with the situation in Cleveland?
Each of LeBron James’ 8 NBA Finals opponents had a better postseason net efficiency than the best team Michael Jordan ever faced pic.twitter.com/IUzaUsDmLK
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 14, 2017
There is a lot on the line for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2017-18 NBA season and the team might need to win the championship to keep its star player happy with his situation. Otherwise, LeBron James could opt out again and force the Cavs to move in a different direction (again).
[Featured Image by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]
