While LeBron’s future is always a topic of fascination, this contract means that questions about whether he will leave won’t be quite so noisy if the team goes through a rough patch as it did this past spring. That means the original best players of the Cavs are still with the team: LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith, Kevin Love, along with other crucial role players Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson, Iman Shumpert and Mo Williams.
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Of course, James signed before Klutch client Tristan Thompson last summer, and Thompson and the Cavaliers were still able to come to a mutually agreeable deal. The deal is for three years, $100 million, agent Rich Paul told ESPN.
James was a free agent, though he previously assured the Cavaliers that he would return. And that’s no accident. Team Swish will be located in Millstone Township, N.J., where Smith grew up and honed his hoops skills.
Dwyane Wade will return to Miami and Derrick Rose will go back to Chicago early in the 2016-17 season, which was unveiled Thursday by the National Basketball Association. Lebron James has shattered records left and right and just two months ago, he did something that no one thought he could do.
Mike Conley of the Memphis Grizzlies is second on US$26.5 million for next season. LeBron James also has a player option for the 3rd year of his contract. He has a $9 million cap hold, but his salary will nearly certainly be higher – it’s believed he’s looking for $15 million annually.
The 31-year-old had been expected to accept the same one-year deal he signed in each of his two previous seasons since returning to Cleveland.
At this point in his career, James is maximizing his money, as he should. He has agreed to a 3 year, $100 million dollar contract.
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Sam Amick of USA TODAY contributed to this article. The Andrew Wiggins-led Minnesota Timberwolves will make their Christmas debut at Oklahoma City and the hapless Los Angeles Lakers will play the Los Angeles Clippers in the night game. If either the league or the NBPA opts out by December 15th, the CBA will be terminated at the end of this season. James concluded his Uninterrupted video by mentioning Smith’s free agency.
