Clevelanders might want to get their bonfires ready for another round of jersey-burning.
With the Cavaliers struggling to live up to lofty expectations, LeBron James reportedly is keeping his options open — even if that means leaving his native Ohio again. If the Cavs don’t shape up, James apparently could ship out.
“James, who turns 30 (Tuesday), has no intention of compromising his prime years playing for a sputtering organization,” Chris Haynes of Northeast Ohio Media Group wrote Tuesday. “Given the massive scrutiny he would endure if he departed Cleveland a second time, if his hand is forced, I’m told he won’t hesitate to make the appropriate business decision if it means bolting.”
James can opt out of his contract at the end of this season and become a free agent again, something he could consider doing whether or not he plans to re-sign with Cleveland. With reports swirling that James and fellow Cavs players are disillusioned with rookie NBA coach David Blatt, threatening to ditch Cleveland again could be an effective way for James to coerce the Cavs into aligning with his wishes both on the court and on the bench.
James announced “I’m coming home” in July in a first-person Sports Illustrated article that caught everyone by surprise, including the Cavs. The team didn’t even have the necessary salary cap space to sign James at the time of the announcement, Haynes notes, and had originally signed Blatt to nurture a young team headlined by point guard Kyrie Irving.
After adding James and Kevin Love, the Cavs are a disappointing 18-12, fifth-best in the thin Eastern Conference.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
