ESPN SportsCenter now reporting that James' agent has informed Miami that LeBron will opt out of his contract.
ESPN: LeBron will opt out
- Thread starter ifmanis5
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Is this an A-Rod situation where it's just a mechanism to drain more cash from the Heat or is he truly going to be wearing a different uniform next season?
https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/481431359224049664
I'm not sure I get this in a max salary league. Getting more rings is going to make him more money than whatever marginal improvement he could get with a new contract (can he?). And what additional money can Miami really spend?
I'm not sure I get this in a max salary league. Getting more rings is going to make him more money than whatever marginal improvement he could get with a new contract (can he?). And what additional money can Miami really spend?
Corsi said:
It actually might be a mechanism for LeBron to take less cash from the Heat. The ideal situation for Pat Riley would be for all three to opt out, and sign new contracts for lower dollars, acknowledging that the Heat need some flexibility to improve the roster around the stars. Not saying that's what's going on, but Riley has hinted this is what he'd like to see.
Holy shit. This is a big surprise. I'm actually pretty excited about it because it will make such an interesting off-season, shake up the league, and I love Lebron but hate the Heat. From a pure basketball standpoint, and I have no idea if they could afford him or want him or he would want them, I would LOVE the Warriors to get a shot at his services.
That tweet is unbelievable. So he's opting out because he just wants to win? OK. If he opts out to resign with them for less money so they have more to spend on other players, then I'd believe it.
He still ends up in Miami. Probably just restructuring to make room for Kyle Lowry and some others.
Regardless of semantics, ESPN should stage and televise The Decision II so Lebron can dust off his "I'm taking my talents to South Beach" monologue.
RedOctober3829 said:
I don't think it's 100%. If Wade doesn't opt out and take less, I don't think LeBron will go back, and I'm not at all convinced that Wade is going to be willing to do that. We'll find out soon enough.
RedOctober3829 said:
This is my take. Opting out is the biggest message he can send to the Arisons. Now, if they can't take the hint and refuse to pay luxury tax to shore up the depth, LeBron is taking his talents elsewhere.
Provided Wade and/or Bosh also opt out and re-signs for less money, this is where I am at as well. The HEAT need to add some pieces and they can't do that with their big three making a combined $60M.RedOctober3829 said:
As for the Celtics fantasy, I realize this makes me insane, but I don't want to root for LeBron. It's too much fun rooting against him while appreciating his greatness.
fairlee76 said:
Again, herein lies the problem. If you're Dwyade Wade, do you even trust the Heat to retain you if you opt out? I know that if I'm Pat Riley and Wade opts out, my first call is to Carmelo Anthony's agent. Dwyane Wade has to know that, as well. I can't see Wade wanting to play anywhere else, especially for like 35-40% of the salary he'd be making in Miami. Unless LeBron and Bosh are willing to play for $10 million a year each, in which case they could make some improvements, and possibly even add Melo if he was willing to do the same thing. I just see Wade as possibly being a big problem for Miami in all of this.
Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
No shit. He wants to force them to "spend"? Has this doucheroni ever heard of a salary cap?
What is stopping the Celtics from signing Lebron, then trading Sully/Olynyk, #6 and #17 for Love and having our own big 3 here in Boston? Rondo, Green, Love, Lebron and Sully/Olynyk are a pretty good start. Does the money not make sense in this scenario? What about then using the trade exemption the Celts have to bring in Asik to help down low? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to think of a way to possibly sway Lebron away from the heat. He has to think that they are on the decline and maybe the allure of playing with Love, Rondo and all the extra draft picks the Celts have in the upcoming years could help him sign up here?
riboflav said:
Wait, how is this? Wade was bad but Green really isnt anything special, even if he is healthy I dont see the upside and he has never proven to me that he could be the #3 guy on a title team.
If he changes teams, he's going to have the option of joining teams that offer a combination of 1) big market 2) low tax burden 3) desirable city and climate 4) great teammates.
The C's, right now, can't really compete on any of those 4 points. I see either LA team, Houston, or Miami as the attractive options. A return to Cleveland is a fairy tale that won't come true - they can't offer any of the 4 above, and too many bridges were burned.
The C's, right now, can't really compete on any of those 4 points. I see either LA team, Houston, or Miami as the attractive options. A return to Cleveland is a fairy tale that won't come true - they can't offer any of the 4 above, and too many bridges were burned.
AlNipper49 said:
Well if you followed the NBA you'd know what happened with Mike Miller and Joel Anthony's expiring and how it probably cost them a title.
No, no it wouldn't. One or two, maybe, but that is only if OKC and SA stay injury free. Wherever LBJ lands next year, I expect the organization to avoid wearing him down so that he can be more himself in the playoffs.bowiac said:
Not really. The C's could add another 10M of cap space by waiving Wallace, Bass and Anthony and using the stretch provision.
It's probably 80-90% that he returns to Miami, but I wouldn't rule out the Clips-- if he wants to win. The Celtics (and Warriors) could capitalize by taking on some LAC salary using their big TPEs.
They got blown off the court by the Spurs. I agree they got a bit cheap, but its hard to say now that it cost them a title. They outscored them by 14 points a game.The Social Chair said:
Yes. He is not taking Pat Riley's word for anything. Good for him. He has the muscle. Use it.The Social Chair said:
Of course, since hating on LeBron has been elevated to a national pastime, there is no winning for losing for him in these circumstances.
amlothi said:
I think it's easy to overstate the tax advantages of low-tax states. For practical purposes, every state with an income tax taxes basketball players on the percenatage of their salaries that they earn by "on duty" in that state.
GreenMonster49 said:
Right, but the Texas players still play more than half of their games in their home state ... even if the 0% tax only exists for ~55% of the salary, it's still a thing, and the tax paid playing on the road at the Knicks and Celtics can probably be considered a sunk cost.
It might be easy to overstate, but if a player's goal is strictly maximizing earnings, it's substantial at the higher ends.
The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa said:
Because the NBA created a clause specifically to allow the Celtics to pay him so he could get paid by his current team.
Maybe he meant 2015 or was messing around but Wade wasn't bad at all this past season.....he was a legit All-Star while playing well in the playoffs before tweaking what looked like his knee in Game 1 of the Finals.wutang112878 said:
You can certainly make a case Wade is heading downhill or even finished......but he was damn good this past season with glimpses of great. Let's not let 5 post injury games erase this.
It's absolutely a message to Arison/Riley that they knew he'd be pissed off if the Heat amnestied Miller to save luxury tax dollars while moving Joel Anthony's slot to save more luxury tax dollars rather than keeping Miller and moving Anthony for an actual basketball player while absorbing MORE salary. That's two productive players Miami could have picked up to help LeBron instead Arison added to his coffers.
I'm certain that LeBron has known all along he'd be opting out while demanding Arison/Riley make some moves on draft night to bring him some help regardless of cost which is the motivation for the timing of this announcement.
I'm certain that LeBron has known all along he'd be opting out while demanding Arison/Riley make some moves on draft night to bring him some help regardless of cost which is the motivation for the timing of this announcement.
HomeRunBaker said:
This also gives LeBron some control over the Heat's moves. Teams can go over the cap to re-sign their own free agents, but not those of others, so by opting out LeBron can basically force Riley/Arison to spend money in free agency until he's satisfied before agreeing to a deal. Opting in would have put him at their mercy again, in terms of team building.
Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
The only way for him to make less money, or to pressure Wade/Bosh to take less, is exactly what he's done.
The way to ensure he doesn't make less money is to opt in.
I get why people are suspicious of Lebron, but this move if anything should make them less suspicious, not more.
Actually, my mistake. Cap holds are going to be large enough that they wont be able to do much in FA. LeBron could, however, sign for a season on league minimum ang get the max next year.BigSoxFan said:
I'm surprised that this is surprising people. Has any recent athlete at the top of their game who had the option to opt-out and have all the flexibility and control NOT done it? Someone like Rudy Gay is cashing in on his $19million because he knows that nobody in their right mind will give him that, but Lebron can literally name his price and determine roster construct. Why would he have taken the extra 2 years when he could guarantee himself either 1.) more money, or 2.) better teammates? This seemed like a no-brainer to me, but I'm also in the camp that its a long-shot that he is anywhere other than with the Miami Heat next year and beyond.
AlNipper49 said:
The absurdities of the NBA CBA mean that teams try to resign their own players LAST in order to maximize usage of cap space on FAs. If he 1) waits until new FAs are acquired, 2) takes less salary, he can still be paid a healthy wage and push Miami over the cap by virtue of Bird rights... Basically, this doucheroni knows precisely what he's doing.