LeBron James will be a free agent after the 2017-18 season, and at age 33 it’s likely he gets one major contract before he starts reaching the tail end of his career.
The focus of LeBron’s free agency will of course be where he actually ends up signing, but James doesn’t seem too worried about that. In fact, it seems like the nature of the contract itself is what he’s currently worried about.
Cleveland.com wrote about how James, in his 15th season, is arguably playing better than ever. A lot of that has to do with a modified shot and an obsessive offseason workout strategy, but no matter what is happening around LeBron the conversation will always lead back to where he plays in 2018.
James was asked about his pending free agency and said he’d like to “break the mold” with his next contract, then explained what that meant for younger players in the future.
“I want to kind of try to break the mold just for the next generation, just take the narrative out of, ‘You’re past your prime when you hit 31,’ or ‘You’re past your prime in your 12th year in the league,’ or whatever the case may be,” James said. “Hopefully I can break the mold so when the next guy comes, he can still get $200 or $300 million and be 33 years old. I’m serious.”
As Cleveland.com points out, that could be great news for Cavs fans because Cleveland is the team that can pay LeBron the most money. If that truly is his goal with free agency, he’s probably staying home. But even if he doesn’t stay in Cleveland, they might have a plan to replace him anyway.
