LeBron James is set to be a free agent if he opts out on June 30 before free agency officially begins and teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks as well as the Miami Heat will be looking up sign him with Carmelo Anthony as the other top free agent target.
The Heat are the favorites to keep LeBron James and the rest of the Big 3 in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but after losing the finals to the Spurs, LeBron is as vulnerable as he will ever be and chances are he will not be in this position again as a free agent. Any team that thinks they have a chance to sign LeBron has to try now and that is why Cleveland feels it belongs in the conversation, as they have the number one overall pick and the chance to trade it in a blockbuster or draft a top prospect like Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker.
James has a major decision to make and he is looking to stay in Miami, but the team clearly needs to make some moves to ensure that he stays. James has until June 30 to officially opt put and while there is a chance that he could opt in and stay this year and wait until next summer, ESPN.com reports that is very unlikely. James wants the team to improve and he was a bit frustrated after the loss of Mike Miller and he will need some free agent help. That could mean taking less money now, but James has enough off the court business to get over that and if it means winning championships, he will be happy about that.
LeBron's wife made some news with a post on social media about Cleveland and that obviously got the idiots on the internet and ESPN into a tizzy. Cleveland is an option, but a very long shot one and even with the number one pick, it doesn't mean James will just sign back there. Dan Gilbert burned bridges when LeBron left and now it will take more than that for him to return. The Cavaliers have been taking offers for the number one pick, but with the drat just days away it appears they are not going to deal it and it won't be for Kevin Love, which was likely the only way LeBron would come back.
LeBron will make $20 million next season and he likely will need to take a slight cut if he wants to sign Carmelo Anthony to the Heat. ESPN.com reported that the team is looking into that situation, but that would mean leaving a ton of money on the table for Melo. Anthony is a premier scorer and he could fit with the Heat, but the Big 3 will have to make a sacrifice to do it.