adminTHE four-time NBA MVP LeBron James has decided to opt out of the final two years of his contract with the Miami Heat, according to reports yesterday. He will therefore become a free agent on July 1.Citing “a person familiar with the situation”, the Associated Press said the decision did not necessarily mean James would leave the Heat, the 2012 and 2013 NBA champions who this year were beaten in the NBA Finals in five games, by the San Antonio Spurs. “There’s no other decision yet,” the source said.
ESPN reported that James’s agent, Richie Paul, had told the Heat the player would exercise an early termination option on his contract, to opt out of its final two years. It said he had been due to earn $20million next season; the AP put the figure left on James’ contract at $42.7million.
James, 29, joined the Heat from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010, in a much-hyped move which became known as “The Decision”. He spent seven seasons in Cleveland; in his four seasons in Miami the franchise have gone to the finals four times, winning twice. A 10-time
All-Star selection, James has twice been named NBA Finals MVP.
He has also played at three Olympic Games, winning gold at London 2012 and Beijing 2008 and bronze in Athens in 2004.
In a June 17 press conference after the Heat’s 107-84 defeat by San Antonio in this year’s Game 5, James told reporters he would go on holiday before making any decision about his future. “Being able to have flexibility as a professional, anyone, that’s what we all would like,” James said. “That’s in any sport, for a football player, a baseball player, a basketball player, to have flexibility and be able to control your future or your present.
“I have a position to be able to do that … There’s a lot of times that you’re not in control of your future as a professional.”
The two other members of the Heat’s famous “Big Three”, guard Dwyane Wade and power forward Chris Bosh, could also become free agents this summer.
“There’s a conversation that will be had between the three of us,” James said. “I think it’s only right. I think we’ve earned that for each other, to have a conversation and see what could possibly happen.”
On Monday, the New York Knicks’ power forward Carmelo Anthony made the same decision, opting out of his deal to become a free agent. The Heat have been reported to have been interested in him. — The Guardian
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