One of the hottest names in the NBA - LeBron James - from the Miami Heat has decided to opt out. He is exercising his early-termination option, confirmed Chris Broussard of ESPN.
Broussard tweeted "LeBron James' agent Rich Paul has told Heat LeBron will exercise early termination option," which means that The King will be a free agent this summer. Does this mean that James will leave the Miami Heat?
Well, that's not automatic. But being a free agent means that James is weighing his options - he may leave or stay. It might also depend on what the Heat offers to retain him or what other teams would offer to get him on board.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports shared that James' decision has something to do with putting pressure on the Miami Heat. He tweeted: "LeBron James will opt-out of deal, source confirms. He's determined to impose pressure on Miami to improve roster and spend, sources say."
There were speculations about James leaving the Miami Heat after they lost the NBA 2014 Finals, but the rumors have never been this close to coming true. Even Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks decided to opt out too. James and Anthony are rumored to be joining Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers this coming NBA season. And why not - the Lakers have a huge salary cap to spend this year.
Heat President Pat Riley commented on James' decision, saying "I was informed this morning of his intentions. We fully expected LeBron to opt-out and exercise his free agent rights, so this does not come as a surprise. As I said at the press conference last week, players have a right to free agency and when they have these opportunities, the right to explore their options. The last four seasons have been historic and LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Erik Spoelstra have led the Miami HEAT to one of the most unprecedented runs in the history of the NBA. We look forward to sitting down with LeBron and his representatives and talking about our future together. At the moment, we are preparing for the opportunities in the Draft and Free Agency as we continue with our goal of winning NBA Championships."
What do you think? Will James stay with the Miami Heat and make another run for the finals? Will the Miami Heat get Anthony instead? Or will the two biggest names in the NBA today go to the Lakers instead?
