For the third time in his career, LeBron James will be an unrestricted free agent as of July 1st. James will bypass his $21.6 million player option with the Cleveland Cavaliers just weeks after losing the NBA Championship to the Golden State Warriors.
It’s expected that James will return to Cleveland, unlike the last two times he hit the free-agent market. In 2010, LeBron left the Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat where he appeared in four consecutive NBA Finals and won two back to back championships. He returned to the Cavs before the 2014-15 season and looks to stay with the team according to Cavs general manager David Griffin.
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James is likely to wait until teammates Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love work out their contracts before negotiating his new contract. Thompson is likely to get a contract around the ballpark of $13 million per year after a strong postseason performance. Love is also expected to re-sign with Cleveland in a five-year maximum contract to the tune of about $110 million, but sources say he may speak with other teams before signing a contract to stay in Cleveland.
After handling Love and Thompson’s contract, the Cavs may also have to hash out a deal for free agent Iman Shumpert before finally sitting down with James. The process should move quickly and James is likely to receive a four year maximum contract by the end of Wednesday, the first day of free-agency.
It’s likely the Cavaliers will offer James about $22 million per year to comply with league rules. James is expected to seek out another one-year contract with player option for the following season that will give him the ability to yet again become a free-agent next summer to take advantage of the new higher max salaries under a new salary cap.