The Knicks’ hopes of ending their three-year playoff drought with the rebuilt roster will begin with a tough test, starting the 2016-17 National Basketball Association season in Cleveland against the defending champion Cavaliers.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers signed LeBron James to a three-year deal Thursday to make his comeback to OH official but they have one free agent left to deal with as J.R. Smith still has no contract in the current 2016 offseason. Moreover, in the 2017-18 NBA Season, LeBron James will get the heftiest pay in the history of the NBA worth $33 million.
LeBron James has for years been heralded as the NBA’s best player, and now he’ll be paid like him.
LeBron James announced that he was officially signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers yesterday, and for a bit longer than many expected.
When James returned in 2014 he promised to break the Cleveland curse and bring a championship to his beloved city. James even said in his postgame presser after Game 7 of the NBA Finals that the Cavaliers weren’t “taking” Smith, but rather that they wanted him.
Appearing in his sixth straight finals, James was a unanimous choice for MVP after leading the Cavs to three straight wins to stun the favored Golden State Warriors, who won a record 73 games during the regular season.
James added a nudge at the end of the video for the organization to get unrestricted free agent J.R. Smith under contract.
James would confirm this news in a video with his start-up investment company UNINTERRUPTED.
Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kevin Love, JR Smith and Tristan Thompson arrive home to a welcome party in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., June 20, 2016.
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The reason isn’t a complicated one: The Cavaliers will once again be in the luxury tax after re-signing James and Smith, and that will make it hard for them to make any trades. “To defend our crown, defend our title”. It’s highly unlikely that Irving, who’s become very close to James over the last 2 seasons, abandons a chance at glory with knowledge that LeBron still has another year with the team. I just can’t wait to get the group back together – the team, the franchise, more importantly, get everybody together, the fans. I’m ecstatic. I can’t wait to see my guys.
