It appears we might be attending the LeBron James free agency circus yet again very soon. According to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, league general managers think LeBron will re-sign with the Miami Heat for a contract that maintains flexibility of his long-term future.
Among GM's, there's still belief LeBron James walks into Pat Riley meeting, lays out his 1-2 year max contract proposal and stays w/ Heat.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 9, 2014
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This is the scenario that seems most prudent for James given the current states of the Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Miami’s big-picture viability as a championship contender has never been more tenuous than in the present. Not only is the Heat’s supporting cast around the Big Three still taking shape, but Dwyane Wade’s time as an impact player could theoretically end any moment. Though bringing in Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger is a good start to shoring up Miami’s periphery and Chris Bosh is poised to age gracefully, those assumptions alone aren’t enough to guarantee James perennial title-contention in Miami.
And conversely, the Cavaliers’ timeline as a juggernaut with LeBron in tow seems at least one season down the road, and more likely two. Kyrie Irving, Andrew Wiggins, and Anthony Bennett will be in their prime or closer to it a couple years from now, ensuring that James is surrounded by the type of realized talent it will take to compete with the Western Conference Champion in the NBA Finals. And as much as the basketball intelligentsia loves David Blatt, the jury is still out on the Euroleague import as a NBA head coach.
Players rarely sacrifice long-term financial security these days, but if any could do so with an assurance that another lengthy, lucrative contract would eventually come his way, it’s certainly James. He’s not only the most marketable star in the league, but his unique all-around talent and sheer size suggest little decline in his game as his athleticism slowly fades. It’s hard to believe another maximum deal isn’t coming LeBron’s way, basically.
James knows that, of course, and the states of transition in Miami and Cleveland means staying the course for another year or two and playing the free agency game again in one of the next two summers could be his best option. Plus, the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers could have hordes of cap space at this time next year, and the 2016 free agent class is absolutely loaded.
Despite the frenzy of the past week, this decision could be much smaller than LeBron’s first one and assure nothing but another season with the Heat. We’ll know more after his meeting with Pat Riley and company today.
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